The period of the time where the entire population are tennis fans is now over and attention has turned to golf and then cricket as people fill the void created by there being no football on. Even for actual tennis fans, there doesn't seem to have been much going on. The US Open series is slowly getting underway, but the top 4 aren't likely to be in action until Andy Murray inevitably wins in Montreal to get our hopes up for a good US Open run before crashing out to a mediocre player in a particularly frustrating manner. However, that doesn't mean there hasn't been plenty of action.
Mardy Fish might win the US Open Series
The US Open series does not entirely make sense. Most years it is won by Federer or Murray but the 2009 winner was Sam Querrey. He did this by virtue of winning one tournament, Los Angeles, and doing very little else. This years series began in Atlanta, which had a very retro line up of Xavier Mallise, Tommy Haas and Lleyton Hewitt. Mardy Fish and John Isner had a fairly epic battle in the final with Isner having two MPs before Fish triumphed in three. Winning a tournament by beating Mahut, Deverrman, Harrison and Isner gets almost as much points as Murray will get for winning Montreal. Fish is lining up in Los Angeles this week, and although JMDP is probably favourite for the title, a good run by Fish could see him secure the US Open Series before Murray et al even go on court in Montreal.
James Ward does something again
After his epic run at Queens, James Ward reverted to type and stopped winning any matches for a while. He was comprehensively dismantled by Gilles Muller in the Davis Cup too. However, at the Lexington Challenger last week Ward had an impressive run to the final and approached a new career high. He was seeded 1, and lost in the final when he finally faced a player I had heard of, but it is a step in the right direction. Jamie Baker also reached the quarters in an impressive week for the Brits.
We have an answer to the question of whether a random club player would win points off Andy Murray
The answer is no, after ex-pro Laurent Bram could only win 15 points in a 6-0 6-0 6-0 victory in the Davis Cup. Dunblane went on to win the tie 3-0 and now face Hungary, while England could only draw 1-1 and face a tough replay in Luxembourg City. Rumours that Brams performance was still impressive enough for the LTA to offer him funding were denied.
Finally, the new youngsters are making a move
Ryan Harrison made it into the top 100 with his performance in Atlanta. He has had a fairly impressive year after breaking through in last years US Open. Tomic, Raonic, Dimitrov and Harrison are all now in the top 100 and there may finally be some new players challenging at the top in the next year. Tomic could have beaten eventual champion Djokovic at Wimbledon had he not lost concentration for a set, while Dimitrov also made headlines for a gallant effort against Tsonga. At least one of these four will make a big impact at the US Open.
There still isn't all that much happening
Roll on Montreal in a few weeks and the start of some tennis on Sky Sports. Otherwise we will be stuck reading about a rueing outbreak in the SPL.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Golfers get it easy
Luke Donald, the worlds number 1 golfer, missed the cut at the British Open. This is the main golf event that an English golfer should want to win. The Wimbledon of golf, as you may. Yet according to the rankings, there is not a better golfer on earth than Luke Donald. Not one player in the field is deemed a better player. Has there been any outrage or criticism? There has not.
Lee Westwood is the world number 2 golfer. He also missed the cut. He has been number 1 for a number of weeks over the last year or so. Yet he, like Donald, has never won a Major. Has there been any outrage or criticism? There has not.
Andy Murray is the worlds 4th best tennis player. In the last three grand slams, he has been knocked out by a higher ranked player. He has been labelled at various times a bottler and faced lots of criticism for the way he has played when it matters.
Major Record
It is harder to win a Major in golf than a Grand Slam in tennis. However, this is compensated by the length of the career. The top Major winner in golf has 18, second 14. The top Grand Slam winner in tennis has 16, the second 14. At 33, Luke Donald would be past it at tennis but is instead entering his prime. Westwood is 38 and still there isn't too much talk of time running out.
Lee Westwood
2nd Place: 2
3rd Place: 4
4th Place: 1
5th -8th: 3
Luke Donald
3rd Place: 2
4th Place: 1
5th-8th: 1
Andy Murray
2nd Place: 3
3/4th (semi final defeat): 4
5-8th (quarter final defeat) 2
Westwood and Murray have similar records. Luke Donald lags behind but has 5 years less than Lee Westwood. None of them have won a Major. All of them have been close and continue to challenge. Now lets look at the google results for:
Andy Murray not good enough
One of the first links is a former World number 1 writing off Andy Murray as not good enough. Another is an opinion in The Guardian stating he isn't good enough. Many of the others are comments after articles. A general theme is that Murray is just not good enough, and his many near misses are evidence of this.
Luke Donald not good enough
The very first link is a declaration that Luke Donald is good enough to be world number 1. There are no newspaper opinion pieces stating that he is not good enough to win a major. The link is not full of people weighing in with opinions that he just simply isn't good enough to win a major. Yet as we have just seen, he has a similar record to Andy Murray in tournaments when it matters.
Lee Westwood not good enough
This is slightly more mixed. However we quickly get a player stating that Lee Westwood is definitely good enough to win a Major by a former player. There is not a complete write off as Westwood as not good enough to win a Major. Yet as we have just seen, he has a similar record to Andy Murray in tournaments when it matters.
Other Events
In World Golf Championsip events, Lee Westwood has never won. He does, however, have three runners up. Luke Donald has won one WGC event. To be fair to Donald, he has won a number of events this year. Yet isn't an ability to do it in smaller events exactly what Andy Murray is hammered for? Luke Donald tore up a links course a week before the Open when he won the Scottish Open. He should have been adequately prepared for tough conditions and links golf, yet was very poor. Since rankings began, there have been 14 players at world number 1 in golf. Twelve of them have won at least one major. The only two not to are Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.
Possible Reasons
1. Unlike tennis, it is very easy for a top golfer to have a bad round or tournament. As you are playing the entire field, and the course, a bad run can ruin an entire tournament. There is no golf equivalent of hauling back a two set deficit to win. Top golfers regularly do miss the cut in big events. However, this should not be seen as a reason to escape criticism altogether. Luke Donald has not even come close in the two majors he has played since becoming world number 1. Having won the Scottish Open, on a links course, he had the best possible preparation. To then miss the cut entirely should really be put down to just not being able to do it when it matters.
2. In tennis, once Andy Murray is out, there is no British interest. In golf, there is still McIlroy, McDowell, Clarke, Casey, Poulter, Fisher etc. It is easy for Westwood and Donald to have a terrible tournament "under the radar" so to speak, as the focus will then move directly to somebody else. Certainly, had Westwood been the only British contender, then there would have been more criticism.
3. It is a far less painful exit. The nature of golf, especially in the first two days, means there is not focus on one particular player or pairing. Nobody "beat" Westwood and Donald as such (rather people bettered their scores). This is far easier to take than watching somebody win the first set, get into a strong position, then completely collapse in tennis. An early exit in tennis means losing to a player that you should be beating, in a match that people actively sit down and pay attention to. In golf, as soon as Westwood and Donald slip out of contention, attention moves to others further up. They don't need to play every shot under the glare of an expectant public.
Conclusion
These factors mean that a British golfer has it quite a bit easier than a British tennis player at the moment. Most of this has to be down to the sheer strength of depth in golf right now. Why criticise Donald and Westwood when we've had a Brit win the very last Major? Why criticise them when another 5 players might challenge for the title? It doesn't change my view that Westwood and Donald are simply not good enough, but it seems they are able to get on with not being good enough out of the entire glare of the media.
Lee Westwood is the world number 2 golfer. He also missed the cut. He has been number 1 for a number of weeks over the last year or so. Yet he, like Donald, has never won a Major. Has there been any outrage or criticism? There has not.
Andy Murray is the worlds 4th best tennis player. In the last three grand slams, he has been knocked out by a higher ranked player. He has been labelled at various times a bottler and faced lots of criticism for the way he has played when it matters.
Major Record
It is harder to win a Major in golf than a Grand Slam in tennis. However, this is compensated by the length of the career. The top Major winner in golf has 18, second 14. The top Grand Slam winner in tennis has 16, the second 14. At 33, Luke Donald would be past it at tennis but is instead entering his prime. Westwood is 38 and still there isn't too much talk of time running out.
Lee Westwood
2nd Place: 2
3rd Place: 4
4th Place: 1
5th -8th: 3
Luke Donald
3rd Place: 2
4th Place: 1
5th-8th: 1
Andy Murray
2nd Place: 3
3/4th (semi final defeat): 4
5-8th (quarter final defeat) 2
Westwood and Murray have similar records. Luke Donald lags behind but has 5 years less than Lee Westwood. None of them have won a Major. All of them have been close and continue to challenge. Now lets look at the google results for:
Andy Murray not good enough
One of the first links is a former World number 1 writing off Andy Murray as not good enough. Another is an opinion in The Guardian stating he isn't good enough. Many of the others are comments after articles. A general theme is that Murray is just not good enough, and his many near misses are evidence of this.
Luke Donald not good enough
The very first link is a declaration that Luke Donald is good enough to be world number 1. There are no newspaper opinion pieces stating that he is not good enough to win a major. The link is not full of people weighing in with opinions that he just simply isn't good enough to win a major. Yet as we have just seen, he has a similar record to Andy Murray in tournaments when it matters.
Lee Westwood not good enough
This is slightly more mixed. However we quickly get a player stating that Lee Westwood is definitely good enough to win a Major by a former player. There is not a complete write off as Westwood as not good enough to win a Major. Yet as we have just seen, he has a similar record to Andy Murray in tournaments when it matters.
Other Events
In World Golf Championsip events, Lee Westwood has never won. He does, however, have three runners up. Luke Donald has won one WGC event. To be fair to Donald, he has won a number of events this year. Yet isn't an ability to do it in smaller events exactly what Andy Murray is hammered for? Luke Donald tore up a links course a week before the Open when he won the Scottish Open. He should have been adequately prepared for tough conditions and links golf, yet was very poor. Since rankings began, there have been 14 players at world number 1 in golf. Twelve of them have won at least one major. The only two not to are Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.
Possible Reasons
1. Unlike tennis, it is very easy for a top golfer to have a bad round or tournament. As you are playing the entire field, and the course, a bad run can ruin an entire tournament. There is no golf equivalent of hauling back a two set deficit to win. Top golfers regularly do miss the cut in big events. However, this should not be seen as a reason to escape criticism altogether. Luke Donald has not even come close in the two majors he has played since becoming world number 1. Having won the Scottish Open, on a links course, he had the best possible preparation. To then miss the cut entirely should really be put down to just not being able to do it when it matters.
2. In tennis, once Andy Murray is out, there is no British interest. In golf, there is still McIlroy, McDowell, Clarke, Casey, Poulter, Fisher etc. It is easy for Westwood and Donald to have a terrible tournament "under the radar" so to speak, as the focus will then move directly to somebody else. Certainly, had Westwood been the only British contender, then there would have been more criticism.
3. It is a far less painful exit. The nature of golf, especially in the first two days, means there is not focus on one particular player or pairing. Nobody "beat" Westwood and Donald as such (rather people bettered their scores). This is far easier to take than watching somebody win the first set, get into a strong position, then completely collapse in tennis. An early exit in tennis means losing to a player that you should be beating, in a match that people actively sit down and pay attention to. In golf, as soon as Westwood and Donald slip out of contention, attention moves to others further up. They don't need to play every shot under the glare of an expectant public.
Conclusion
These factors mean that a British golfer has it quite a bit easier than a British tennis player at the moment. Most of this has to be down to the sheer strength of depth in golf right now. Why criticise Donald and Westwood when we've had a Brit win the very last Major? Why criticise them when another 5 players might challenge for the title? It doesn't change my view that Westwood and Donald are simply not good enough, but it seems they are able to get on with not being good enough out of the entire glare of the media.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Ten years of Rankings
World Rankings 16 July 2001
Notable Points:
Gustavo Kuerten was in the middle of 43 weeks at World Number 1. He won 3 Grand Slams, 6 Masters Events and the 2000 end of year Championships. Yet at least one person who I know who is a massive tennis fan had never heard of him. Perhaps the most underrated player of the last 15 years?
Safin, Hewitt and Ferrero were working their way up the rankings, and all would eventually make their way to number 1.
World Rankings 7 July 2002
Notable Points:
Former World Number 1 Kuerten had fallen out of the top 10 altogether.
Hewitt and Safin were now ranked 1 and 2. Hewitt had just won Wimbledon and was expected to dominate tennis for the next few years. He would never again win a Slam again.
Haas at 3 and Henman at 4 really make the top 10 look quite weak. The presence of Costa and Johansson does little to suggest this was a strong era of tennis.
World Rankings 12 July 2003
Notable Points:
8 years on, Federer would still be at world number 3. However, in between times...
Andre Agassi was world number 1 despite being aged 33. He had won the Australian Open and the Miami Masters. Whether this suggests this was a particularly weak era, or an incredibly impressive effort by Agassi is up for debate. Possibly a bit of both.
Jiri Novak is an incredibly unmemorable player, his career highlight being a semi final in the 2002 Australian Open.
Tim Henman was down at 37 in the world and his career thought to be on the way down. The next year would arguably be the best of his career.
12 July 2004
Notable Points:
Another large fall from Number 1 over a year. Its odd in these days of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic dominance to think of somebody falling from number 1 to 10 over 12 months.
Guilermo Coria was the 'King of Clay' and only an epic choke in the French Open Final prevented him winning that. It was all downhill from here.
Tim Henman should have won the French Open this year. In fact it was the only time he lost a Grand Slam semi final to the eventual runner up. It was also, in my opinion, his only choke.
Agassi was a top 10 player at 34. An impressive feat.
12 July 2005
Notable Points:
Federer and Nadal would not be outside the top 4 for the next 6 years (and counting). Roddick would also be in the top 10 6 years on. Only 1 player (Agassi) featured in both 2005 and 1999.
Andre Agassi was in the top at aged 35! He would go on to reach the final of the US Open. What chances Federer having similar longevity?
Thomas Johansson was back in the top 10 for the first time since he won the Australian Open in 2002. He is comfortably the least impressive slam winner of the 2000s and a perfect lesson in being born at the correct time to maximise a career.
Andy Murray was at 205 (two places behind fellow Brit Mark Hilton). Novak Djokovic was at 96.
10 July 2006
| 1 | Kuerten, Gustavo (BRA) | 4,075 | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | Safin, Marat (RUS) | 3,805 | 0 | 26 |
| 3 | Agassi, Andre (USA) | 3,795 | 0 | 19 |
| 4 | Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) | 2,960 | 0 | 23 |
| 5 | Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP) | 2,905 | 0 | 24 |
| 6 | Kafelnikov, Yevgeny (RUS) | 2,645 | 0 | 31 |
| 7 | Grosjean, Sebastien (FRA) | 2,350 | 0 | 25 |
| 8 | Henman, Tim (GBR) | 2,295 | 0 | 25 |
| 9 | Corretja, Alex (ESP) | 2,275 | 0 | 26 |
| 10 | Rafter, Patrick (AUS) | 2,120 | 0 | 21 |
Notable Points:
Gustavo Kuerten was in the middle of 43 weeks at World Number 1. He won 3 Grand Slams, 6 Masters Events and the 2000 end of year Championships. Yet at least one person who I know who is a massive tennis fan had never heard of him. Perhaps the most underrated player of the last 15 years?
Safin, Hewitt and Ferrero were working their way up the rankings, and all would eventually make their way to number 1.
World Rankings 7 July 2002
| 1 | Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) | 5,110 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Safin, Marat (RUS) | 3,095 | 0 | 24 |
| 3 | Haas, Tommy (GER) | 2,990 | 0 | 24 |
| 4 | Henman, Tim (GBR) | 2,605 | 0 | 20 |
| 5 | Kafelnikov, Yevgeny (RUS) | 2,575 | 0 | 28 |
| 6 | Agassi, Andre (USA) | 2,310 | 0 | 20 |
| 7 | Costa, Albert (ESP) | 2,290 | 0 | 23 |
| 8 | Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP) | 2,165 | 0 | 25 |
| 9 | Johansson, Thomas (SWE) | 1,960 | 0 | 24 |
| 10 | Grosjean, Sebastien (FRA) | 1,945 | 0 | 24 |
Notable Points:
Former World Number 1 Kuerten had fallen out of the top 10 altogether.
Hewitt and Safin were now ranked 1 and 2. Hewitt had just won Wimbledon and was expected to dominate tennis for the next few years. He would never again win a Slam again.
Haas at 3 and Henman at 4 really make the top 10 look quite weak. The presence of Costa and Johansson does little to suggest this was a strong era of tennis.
World Rankings 12 July 2003
| 1 | Agassi, Andre (USA) | 4,090 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP) | 3,875 | 0 | 23 |
| 3 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 3,575 | 0 | 26 |
| 4 | Moya, Carlos (ESP) | 3,095 | 0 | 24 |
| 5 | Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) | 2,945 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 2,765 | 0 | 22 |
| 7 | Coria, Guillermo (ARG) | 2,250 | 0 | 23 |
| 8 | Schuettler, Rainer (GER) | 2,000 | 0 | 30 |
| 9 | Novak, Jiri (CZE) | 1,980 | 1 | 27 |
| 10 | Grosjean, Sebastien (FRA) | 1,950 | -1 | 21 |
Notable Points:
8 years on, Federer would still be at world number 3. However, in between times...
Andre Agassi was world number 1 despite being aged 33. He had won the Australian Open and the Miami Masters. Whether this suggests this was a particularly weak era, or an incredibly impressive effort by Agassi is up for debate. Possibly a bit of both.
Jiri Novak is an incredibly unmemorable player, his career highlight being a semi final in the 2002 Australian Open.
Tim Henman was down at 37 in the world and his career thought to be on the way down. The next year would arguably be the best of his career.
12 July 2004
| 1 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 5,665 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 4,945 | 0 | 23 |
| 3 | Coria, Guillermo (ARG) | 3,770 | 0 | 24 |
| 4 | Moya, Carlos (ESP) | 2,610 | 0 | 25 |
| 5 | Henman, Tim (GBR) | 2,505 | 0 | 20 |
| 6 | Nalbandian, David (ARG) | 2,475 | 0 | 18 |
| 7 | Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP) | 2,435 | 0 | 21 |
| 8 | Schuettler, Rainer (GER) | 2,190 | 0 | 29 |
| 9 | Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) | 1,990 | 0 | 17 |
| 10 | Agassi, Andre (USA) | 1,905 | 0 | 18 |
Notable Points:
Another large fall from Number 1 over a year. Its odd in these days of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic dominance to think of somebody falling from number 1 to 10 over 12 months.
Guilermo Coria was the 'King of Clay' and only an epic choke in the French Open Final prevented him winning that. It was all downhill from here.
Tim Henman should have won the French Open this year. In fact it was the only time he lost a Grand Slam semi final to the eventual runner up. It was also, in my opinion, his only choke.
Agassi was a top 10 player at 34. An impressive feat.
12 July 2005
| 1 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 6,980 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) | 3,840 | 0 | 20 |
| 3 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 3,750 | 0 | 26 |
| 4 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 3,590 | 0 | 21 |
| 5 | Safin, Marat (RUS) | 3,265 | 0 | 23 |
| 6 | Agassi, Andre (USA) | 2,275 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) | 2,115 | 0 | 31 |
| 8 | Canas, Guillermo (ARG) | 2,070 | 0 | 20 |
| 9 | Johansson, Thomas (SWE) | 1,688 | 0 | 26 |
| 10 | Nalbandian, David (ARG) | 1,635 | 0 | 21 |
Notable Points:
Federer and Nadal would not be outside the top 4 for the next 6 years (and counting). Roddick would also be in the top 10 6 years on. Only 1 player (Agassi) featured in both 2005 and 1999.
Andre Agassi was in the top at aged 35! He would go on to reach the final of the US Open. What chances Federer having similar longevity?
Thomas Johansson was back in the top 10 for the first time since he won the Australian Open in 2002. He is comfortably the least impressive slam winner of the 2000s and a perfect lesson in being born at the correct time to maximise a career.
Andy Murray was at 205 (two places behind fellow Brit Mark Hilton). Novak Djokovic was at 96.
10 July 2006
| 1 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 7,260 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 5,125 | 0 | 19 |
| 3 | Nalbandian, David (ARG) | 3,185 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Ljubicic, Ivan (CRO) | 3,125 | 0 | 21 |
| 5 | Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) | 2,165 | 0 | 31 |
| 6 | Blake, James (USA) | 2,155 | 0 | 24 |
| 7 | Ancic, Mario (CRO) | 1,985 | 0 | 24 |
| 8 | Stepanek, Radek (CZE) | 1,925 | 0 | 25 |
| 9 | Robredo, Tommy (ESP) | 1,915 | 0 | 26 |
| 10 | Baghdatis, Marcos (CYP) | 1,857 | 0 | 24 |
Notable Points
Easily the weakest top 10 of the decade. Only two players here won Slams, only 4 reached finals. Robredo, Blake and Stepanek never even made the semi finals of a slam.
Federer and Nadal won all the Slams this year, and 6 of the 9 Masters Events.
This was a rare occasion where Andy Roddick was out of the top 10. A particularly poor Wimbledon, where he lost early to Andy Murray, was the cause. However, between October 2002 and August 2010, this was one of only 4 weeks where he was not in the top 10.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were at 35 and 36 respectively.
9 July 2007
Djokovic was established as the third best player in the world. Andy Murray had broken into the top 10 in May, but a wrist injury caused him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.
21 year old Richard Gasquet and 22 year old Thomas Berdych might have been expected to push on a bit further from this stage, but neither is ranked all that much higher four years on. Gasquet in particular was very highly rated and had just come off a Wimbledon semi final. A two set collapse to Murray a year later, and an odd cocaine incident saw his career derailed slightly.
Federer was still fairly comfortable at number 1, having defeated Nadal at Wimbledon. He would go on to beat Djokovic at the US Open.
14 July 2008
Federer was still number 1, but defeat at Wimbledon and a hammering at the French Open meant Nadal was the top player in all but ranking. A month later he would become the first player since February 2004 to dethrone Federer.
Andy Murray wasn't really giving any indication he was about to win two of the next three Masters Events and get to the US Open final, reaching 4 in the world and remaining there or thereabouts forever more.
James Blake was top 10 for the third consecutive year. Probably not expected as he never seemed to do all that much.
Juan Martin Del Potro was only 44 in the world but about to make a major impact with four consecutive tennis wins.
13 July 2009
Andy Murray was two games away from being World Number 1 at Wimbledon. He would soon make 2 but never get so close again.
Roger Federer is back at number 1, but only as a result of Nadals knee injury that caused him to miss Wimbledon.
The big 4 are firmly established, with Del Potro posed to stun Federer at the US Open and make it a big 5 for a short while.
Tsonga, Simon and Verdasco are all well placed to push on to an extra level but never quite managed it.
12 July 2010
Compared to 2009, where there was almost nothing between the top 3, Nadal has established a comfortable lead over the rest. He would go on to win the US Open to hold three of the four slams.
Robin Soderling lurks dangerously close to reaching number 4, which he will eventually do temporarily for a few weeks. Few actually felt he was properly part of the top 4, however.
Juan Martin Del Potro is 7th despite not playing for 6 months.
Novak Djokovic has finally pushed Federer as far down as third, and will go on to beat him at the US Open to cement that.
11 July 2011
Novak Djokovic has finally reached the world number 1 ranking his performances all year have deserved.
A two month slump means Murray is well off the pace in 4th, but the top 4 as a whole have dominated proceedings this year.
The rest of the top 10 looks quite weak again. Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils are not the sort of players to really challenge the top 4.
Andy Roddick is possibly in the top 10 for the last time.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were at 35 and 36 respectively.
9 July 2007
| 1 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 7,290 | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 5,225 | 0 | 19 |
| 3 | Djokovic, Novak (SRB) | 3,310 | 0 | 22 |
| 4 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 3,230 | 0 | 21 |
| 5 | Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) | 3,185 | 0 | 28 |
| 6 | Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI) | 2,780 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | Gasquet, Richard (FRA) | 2,220 | 0 | 23 |
| 8 | Robredo, Tommy (ESP) | 2,200 | 0 | 25 |
| 9 | Blake, James (USA) | 2,075 | 0 | 25 |
| 10 | Berdych, Tomas (CZE) | 2,045 | 0 | 21 |
Djokovic was established as the third best player in the world. Andy Murray had broken into the top 10 in May, but a wrist injury caused him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.
21 year old Richard Gasquet and 22 year old Thomas Berdych might have been expected to push on a bit further from this stage, but neither is ranked all that much higher four years on. Gasquet in particular was very highly rated and had just come off a Wimbledon semi final. A two set collapse to Murray a year later, and an odd cocaine incident saw his career derailed slightly.
Federer was still fairly comfortable at number 1, having defeated Nadal at Wimbledon. He would go on to beat Djokovic at the US Open.
14 July 2008
| 1 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 6,600 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 6,055 | 0 | 20 |
| 3 | Djokovic, Novak (SRB) | 4,945 | 0 | 19 |
| 4 | Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) | 2,970 | 1 | 27 |
| 5 | Ferrer, David (ESP) | 2,945 | -1 | 26 |
| 6 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 2,065 | 0 | 21 |
| 7 | Nalbandian, David (ARG) | 2,030 | 0 | 20 |
| 8 | Blake, James (USA) | 1,975 | 0 | 24 |
| 9 | Murray, Andy (GBR) | 1,805 | 0 | 22 |
| 10 | Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) | 1,785 | 0 | 25 |
Federer was still number 1, but defeat at Wimbledon and a hammering at the French Open meant Nadal was the top player in all but ranking. A month later he would become the first player since February 2004 to dethrone Federer.
Andy Murray wasn't really giving any indication he was about to win two of the next three Masters Events and get to the US Open final, reaching 4 in the world and remaining there or thereabouts forever more.
James Blake was top 10 for the third consecutive year. Probably not expected as he never seemed to do all that much.
Juan Martin Del Potro was only 44 in the world but about to make a major impact with four consecutive tennis wins.
13 July 2009
| 1 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 11,220 | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 10,735 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Murray, Andy (GBR) | 9,450 | 0 | 21 |
| 4 | Djokovic, Novak (SRB) | 8,150 | 0 | 23 |
| 5 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 5,440 | 1 | 23 |
| 6 | Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) | 5,425 | -1 | 23 |
| 7 | Simon, Gilles (FRA) | 4,000 | 0 | 28 |
| 8 | Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) | 3,600 | 0 | 24 |
| 9 | Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) | 3,500 | 0 | 24 |
| 10 | Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI) | 3,185 | 0 | 18 |
Andy Murray was two games away from being World Number 1 at Wimbledon. He would soon make 2 but never get so close again.
Roger Federer is back at number 1, but only as a result of Nadals knee injury that caused him to miss Wimbledon.
The big 4 are firmly established, with Del Potro posed to stun Federer at the US Open and make it a big 5 for a short while.
Tsonga, Simon and Verdasco are all well placed to push on to an extra level but never quite managed it.
12 July 2010
| 1 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 10,745 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Djokovic, Novak (SRB) | 6,905 | 0 | 21 |
| 3 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 6,885 | 0 | 20 |
| 4 | Murray, Andy (GBR) | 5,155 | 0 | 17 |
| 5 | Soderling, Robin (SWE) | 4,935 | 0 | 25 |
| 6 | Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) | 4,740 | 0 | 26 |
| 7 | Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) | 4,270 | 0 | 16 |
| 8 | Berdych, Tomas (CZE) | 3,780 | 0 | 25 |
| 9 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 3,490 | 0 | 20 |
| 10 | Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) | 3,475 | 0 | 25 |
Compared to 2009, where there was almost nothing between the top 3, Nadal has established a comfortable lead over the rest. He would go on to win the US Open to hold three of the four slams.
Robin Soderling lurks dangerously close to reaching number 4, which he will eventually do temporarily for a few weeks. Few actually felt he was properly part of the top 4, however.
Juan Martin Del Potro is 7th despite not playing for 6 months.
Novak Djokovic has finally pushed Federer as far down as third, and will go on to beat him at the US Open to cement that.
11 July 2011
| 1 | Djokovic, Novak (SRB) | 13,155 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 11,270 | 0 | 22 |
| 3 | Federer, Roger (SUI) | 9,230 | 0 | 21 |
| 4 | Murray, Andy (GBR) | 6,855 | 0 | 20 |
| 5 | Soderling, Robin (SWE) | 4,325 | 0 | 25 |
| 6 | Ferrer, David (ESP) | 4,150 | 0 | 24 |
| 7 | Monfils, Gael (FRA) | 2,755 | 0 | 21 |
| 8 | Berdych, Tomas (CZE) | 2,470 | 1 | 26 |
| 9 | Fish, Mardy (USA) | 2,435 | -1 | 20 |
| 10 | Roddick, Andy (USA) | 2,110 | 0 | 21 |
Novak Djokovic has finally reached the world number 1 ranking his performances all year have deserved.
A two month slump means Murray is well off the pace in 4th, but the top 4 as a whole have dominated proceedings this year.
The rest of the top 10 looks quite weak again. Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils are not the sort of players to really challenge the top 4.
Andy Roddick is possibly in the top 10 for the last time.
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