(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Besides Novak Djokovic winning the Australian Open in 2008, it seems the Slams in the past few years have belonged almost completely to Roger Federer and, more and more, Rafael Nadal—but not much besides those two.
Federer's decline seems much more obvious this year, while Nadal, although winning three out of the last four grand slams, seems beatable off the clay, if he's played correctly. Things seem a bit more open, and more players can join the chase for the big titles, even those who haven't won one in their career.
Here's my list of the best six players today without a Slam title and their future chances of winning one.
Andy Murray, United Kingdom
Career singles titles: 11, 10 of them on hard courts, one on carpet. three titles in 2009.
Grand Slam Bests: Australian Open—fourth round (2007, 2009); French Open—third round (2008); Wimbledon—quarterfinal (2008); U.S. Open—final (2008).
Boasting a 26-2 record, the almost 22-year-old Scottish player is the latest hope for the Brits to finally win Wimbledon for the home team. (Well, almost—Scotland is close enough.)
He has already reached two Masters finals this year, winning one in Miami vs Novak Djokovic and losing one to Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells.
Despite his lack of success on clay so far in his career, he has reached the Monte Carlo Masters semifinal, where he has lost to Rafael Nadal, who hasn't lost in Monte Carlo for 26 straight matches, which might signal he is to be considered a contender for the upcoming Roland Garros.
He will surely be one of the top contenders for a win in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, where he reached the finals last year.
My bet: With Federer looking less and less capable of constantly showing his old form, count on Andy Murray to get his first Grand Slam by the end of 2009 or early 2010. What happened this Australian Open was just a glitch. Murray is the real deal.
Juan Martin Del Potro, Argentina
Current ATP Ranking: fifth.
Career singles titles: five, two on clay and three on hard courts. One title in 2009.
Grand Slam Bests: Australian Open—quarterfinal (2009); French Open—second round (2008); Wimbledon—second round (2007,2008); U.S. Open—quarterfinal (2008).
The 20-year-old Argentinian beat Rafael Nadal in the Miami Masters' quarterfinal, a win that brought him further into the spotlight than ever before, and his growing talent has gotten a lot more media time than ever before. This year seems like his breakout year, and he is expected to be a major force at Roland Garros.
The only problem? Rafa—Nadal to you and me—who just seems unbeatable on clay at the moment. But Del Potro has beaten him recently, maybe he has his magic number?
My bet: No Grand Slam for Del Potro this year, but he's only 20, and if he keeps progressing like he has in the past 16 months, we will see him getting a big trophy or two. He has to improve his record against the top ranked players, as he is 1-13 against Federer-Nadal-Murray-Djokovic.
Gilles Simon, France
Current ATP Ranking: seventh.
Career singles titles: five, three on clay and two on hard courts. No titles in 2009.
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