Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer? 2011 Promises To Be a Great Season

There have been many great tennis seasons in the past. For example, Roger Federer finally completed his career slam in 2009, and Rafael Nadal removed his clay-court tag and won Wimbledon the year before. The 2011 season, however, could potentially be one of the best in recent history.

Rafael Nadal

The only thing that can stop Rafa on a clay court is injuries, and now that he is managing his schedule much better, he should be okay in this regard. In the past he would play a clay tournament every week, but now that he has adopted a week’s break in between the major clay events, he will likely win or be in the final of the three clay Masters tournaments, then win the French Open.

Players like Novak Djokovic and Federer may be able to challenge him at Rome, Madrid or Monte Carlo because winning a best-of-three is much easier. If players like Djoko or Fed can make a fast start against Rafa in a best-of-three, they may be able to hold on and see through a win. Unlikely, but certainly it wouldn’t be a shock. Providing Nadal is healthy at the French, I just cannot see anyone competing with him on that surface.

Going to Wimbledon, it will be interesting to see the damage on his body that is done by the clay-court season. If he comes through relatively unscathed, he should reach the final again. In last year’s Wimbledon, Rafa showed that he could be beat on grass, being pushed to five sets by Robin Haase and Phillipp Petzschner in rounds two and three respectively.

Nadal is much more vulnerable on grass than clay or hard-courts in my opinion. The big-hitting players can win more cheap points on that surface. Roger Federer will be very motivated to peg Nadal back, and will see Wimbledon as his best chance to do so.

Retaining the US Open will be very difficult this year. Juan Del Potro will see it as the opportunity to regain his own title, and players like Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray all have great form at the US Open. The French Open is Nadal’s to lose, but the US Open could be one off the most exciting tournaments we have ever seen.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is now set to compete with Federer and Nadal on every surface. Djokovic has proved his hard-court class, and with the new added confidence, he can take this to the clay court.

For Novak to truly be seen as a potential world No. 1, some substantial clay court titles are needed. I believe that he needs to take one of the clay Masters tournaments this year. Having come very close in the past, it would show an improvement in his game if he can withstand the physical toll of a major clay tournament.

Obviously, I would prefer he won the French Open, and I certainly believe he can compete against Nadal on clay, but to win three sets against him is almost impossible unless Rafa is injured. Winning three sets against Federer on clay isn’t easy in itself, so that is still something Djokovic can prove he can do on clay. Djokovic will undoubtedly challenge the previous regime of Nadal and Federer, and this makes the clay season very exciting.

After Wimbledon, where Federer or Nadal will probably win, Djokovic will be a favourite to take the US Open. With Del Potro coming back, that tournament should be full of drama and quality. Rarely in the past have were so many potential winners in the field for men’s tennis.

Roger Federer

Now I have been guilty of writing Federer off in the past, even at times this season. Logic dictates that he will be on a slow decline, competing against players aged four or five years younger than him. However, Federer is not a logical player. The shots he makes are so flawless, and his quality cannot be doubted. Federer will always be motivated to win grand slam titles, and with the media fanfare around Djokovic and Nadal increasing, this motivation can increase.

With people expecting Federer to decline, he has nothing to lose. If he doesn’t win a grand slam, people will carry on what they have been saying since the French Open last year, that Federer is done. The pressure that is taken off him makes him a very dangerous opponent.

He’s only lost to Novak Djokovic recently, the world No. 2. Federer is not being picked off by other players in the top 10, so he should be able to make the semifinals in most major tournaments. When he gets there, it is anyone’s game. In Indian Wells Federer could have easily won the match against Djokovic, except for one loose game.

I am a massive Djokovic fan, but I don’t think he is miles ahead of Federer yet. Over the past three games, he has been the better player, but three games doesn’t make a season. I believe Federer will win Wimbledon this year. It represents his best chance of winning a major, and he should tailor his season to peak at that time.   

If the 2011 season doesn’t go down as one of the greatest, it will be a major disappointment. Added to the three players mentioned in the articles, Del Potro and Andy Murray should be competitive on most surfaces. Del Potro is a grand slam winner, and Murray a three-time finalist, so they may be able to slide under the radar and make a surprise run to a slam title. Maybe not a surprise for Del Potro, but he won’t be a leading favourite above the world’s top three.

I would look for young players like Thomaz Bellucci, Milos Raonic and Alexandr Dolgopolov to make impressive runs at major events as well. Bellucci does have the game to be very competitive on clay. A left-hander like Nadal, he should be able to reach the quarterfinals at the French, depending on his draw.