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As we bid farewell to the Grand Slams for yet another year, we can now celebrate a new, and perhaps overdue, winner. With Scotland/Britain’s Andy Murray channeling the spirit of coach Ivan Lendl, he finally won a Grand Slam on his fifth attempt and gave us a new Grand Slam champion. As the dust settles, it’s time to realize that for the first time since 2003, we have had four different champions at the Slams this year, an almost inconceivable thought given the dominance of Federer, Nadal and to an extent, Djokovic. While some have enjoyed that spell of dominance, quite a few people have also been of the opinion that men’s tennis had become too predictable and were yearning for some ‘change’ at the top. While we have just experienced perhaps the most open tennis season in nearly a decade, the exciting part is that 2013 could get better and here’s why:
- Federer is getting older: Yes, Roger Federer is getting older. Yes, he won Wimbledon this year in addition to three Masters Series titles, with the possibility of adding more before the year ends. However, his win at Wimbledon this year was his first Grand Slam victory in over two years. The great man has lost three quarterfinals at Grand Slams over the past three years, which is something almost unexpected of him, again a testament to his greatness. While Federer may still have another Grand Slam or two left in him, he is definitely not the dominant force he once was and will continue to steadily decline as age catches up with him
- Nadal and his knees: Rafael Nadal has missed virtually all of the second half of the season so far and has set no fixed return date. When a player as committed and determined as Nadal chooses not to defend his Olympic title or enter the US Open, you know that this is perhaps a serious injury. While this was bound to happen sometime or the other given his highly physical game, it remains to be seen when Nadal makes a comeback. And if he does, whether he ever returns to his peak.
- Djokovic has had a comparatively poor year: Novak Djokovic was almost unbeatable in 2011, but has been unable to match his supreme form this year, managing to win just one Grand Slam title at the start of the year. While he did have a great first half of the year, winning the Australian Open and Miami and reaching the finals of the French Open, his form has deserted him in the second half of the year, compared to what it was like last year. It is unlikely that he will ever regain the form of 2011, and his vulnerability against Federer and Nadal seems to have returned, suffering multiple defeats against them this year.
- Murray and his new-found belief: The question has been answered. Andy Murray can win a Grand Slam. The addition of coach Ivan Lendl to his coaching staff has done wonders for the Scotsman this year, giving him new-found mental strength and belief as he has gone from strength to strength this year, partially conquering his demons with the Olympic victory and then banishing them for good with his win at the US Open. The first win is the hardest to get, and now that it has been achieved, it is quite likely that the floodgates have opened for Murray and we could see him adding to his title count next year
- Players on the horizon: With Murray having won a slam, the attention now turns to the ‘best of the rest’ who have never won a slam -Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. All have come close in their careers, but have been unable to take that final step and capture that elusive title. With Federer and Nadal possibly not the players they once were, it would not be too naïve to expect one of the three to finally take their chance next year and win that Slam. Also, an honourable mention in this category is Juan Martin Del Potro. While he has won a Slam in the past, it has been quite a while and the Argentine looks close to being back to his peak after a few injury problems over the past couple of years.
