Roger Federer, Novak Djokavic and Rafael Nadal Giving Fans Much Excitement

The 2011 season ended with Roger Federer dominating the second half of it, winning every match he played after the U.S. Open.

It wasn’t good enough to outdo Novak Djokovic, who won three out of the four majors and became the world No. 1, on what many considered to be one of the best seasons ever played.

The 2012 started with the eyes of the tennis world on the Serb, and expectations on whether he could repeat his performance from 2011.

The first major of the year—the Australian Open—brought no surprises, and everything seemed to be happening according to the plan. The big four reached the semifinals—Nadal beat Federer and Djoko beat Murray. The Serbian captured his fifth major, in an epic final against Nadal, staring the "Djokovic Slam" conversation heading towards Roland Garros.

Then, things started to shift. Djokovic and Murray took some time off until Dubai, and Rafa took an even longer time off, returning to the courts only at Indian Wells.

The oldest of the troop, Roger Federer, decided he doesn’t need any rest, and played Davis Cup and Rotterdam, where he captured the title, taking out Juan Martin Del Potro in the final, before heading to Dubai.

A week earlier, John Isner would provide one of the greatest surprises of the year, beating Federer in Switzerland on a first round Davis Cup tie won by the United States, and definitely entering the scene as a top contender.

The millionaire event in Dubai started to draw a different picture for the season from what some might have been expected. Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, showing that the top guys are not willing to allow the Serb to have another 2011 like season. He then fell in the final to Roger Federer, who captured his second title of the year.

In the meantime, David Ferrer went to South America and won two more titles—Buenos Aires and Acapulco—totaling three for the season. He joined Del Potro—who won in Marseille—and Milos Raonic—who won San Jose for the second time in a row—as major contenders to make a statement in 2012.

Rafael Nadal returned to action at Indian Wells after a long break and brought high expectations. For the first time, Rafa decided to play a more selective schedule, in an attempt to keep his body healthy throughout the season.

Events in California kept going against the plans and predictions that were established based on the 2011 season. John Isner took Djokovic out in the semifinal, and broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career. In the other semifinal, Roger gave Rafa a tennis lesson, beating the Spaniard on an outdoor hard court for he first time since 2005.

In the final, the great Swiss player prevailed over the giant former Georgia Bulldog, capturing his third title and starting a solid run towards the second spot in the ranking.

Things are really shaking. Now, the players head to Miami this week, which is also an outdoor hard surface event, but under totally different conditions, with a faster court and more humid weather.

After Miami, it is Rafa time, with the start of the European clay court season, which culminates in his sacred temple, Roland Garros.

For the sake of good and exciting tennis, it looks like anything can happen and the sport will not have a dominant player this season. This is good for the game as a whole, for the players as it instigates their competitive spirit and for the fans that are about to witness a great season of tennis. Game on!