The tennis season will come to an end this weekend with the Davis Cup final, a traditional closure of the calendar year of this sport which will pit favourites Spain – without Rafael Nadal – against the Czech Republic.
But, for the second year running, the tennis year belongs to Novak Djokovic, who finishes top-ranked once again, and crowned his excellent season with a remarkable victory against Roger Federer in the ATP championships final last Monday.
Djokovic had lost the number one spot to the same Federer midway through this season, but earned enough points – while the Swiss dropped too many – to recover the top position again. The Serbian player deserves it, although this year he only managed one Grand Slam title, that of Australia. He was a losing finalist in another two, the Roland Garros and US Open, while he was eliminated in the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
Still, his consistency and determination were a factor that dominated the sport in the season which is about to end. The way he manages to recover matches that seem lost, and turn a probable defeat into a resounding victory is one of his greater characteristics. An example of this was last Monday’s final, when he first rallied from a 0-3 start to win the first set on the tie-break, and in the second set he came back from a 5-3 deficit to win four straight games to take the championship home.
It was the second time that he won this competition. The first time, in 2008, Djokovic was still a rising star and his victory then was considered to be a freak. But, today, the Serbian player has cast his name in stone in a discipline that has become faster, trickier and more challenging.
Federer should be happy with what he achieved. Many think that he is in the twilight of his career, but the Swiss still has the right motivation to go on, as his thirst for more victories is still there. It is a season that also saw the rise of Andy Murray who, after winning the Olympic Games gold medal, managed to clinch his first Grand Slam in the US. The Scot has upped his game considerably this season, and is expected to give an even greater challenge next year.
Nadal is still in the top four places, although he missed out for nearly half the season. The Spaniard’s flair was missed in this latter part, and all tennis lovers hope that he will soon return on court to fight his way back to the top.
The top four players seem to be a head above the rest; the gap between them and the rest of the field is too great, although players like Tsonga, Ferrer, Del Potro and Tipsarevic can have a good day and grab a victory against them.