What We Learned from the World Tour Finals

While some casual tennis fans do not even know of its existence, the World Tour Finals often is among the most exciting events of the year. It features a distinctive round robin format, is composed solely of the top players in the world and is a fitting end to what is a seemingly endless season.

This year was a strange one for the tournament, though, with some big names showing the effects of the long season on their game, and some subsidiary players stepping up to the occasion.

Here are some takeaways from the final event of the tennis season.

Tsonga Is Back as a Threat

When he made a run to the finals of the Australian Open in 2008, many saw Tsonga as a future star. Unfortunately, as of yet he has not lived up to that billing.

This event showed that next year he possibly could, though, as he took out many top players with the panache and flair that characterize his game. 

Look for his big game to yield results next year, barring injury.

The Season Is Too Long

The two players with the two most enervating play styles showed just how much the season took its toll on their game. 

Nadal and Murray looked exhausted and feeble, and neither put up much of a fight in the tournament, the latter even dropping out in the very early stages.

A shorter season could yield dividends in that the event would have been much more exciting had the top players not been so fatigued. 

Federer Is Still a Force

Though Rafa was clearly below one hundred percent, it had to have felt good for Fed and his fans to see that bagel in the second set.

Federer has shown that he can still win the most critical events of the year, which bodes well for 2012. I believe next year will be one of the most essential and interesting of his career to date, and hopefully he'll be able to take away that ever elusive seventeenth grand slam title. 

Berdych Still Has Game

Since he reached the finals of Wimbledon in 2010, Berdych has not done much of note. He has hung around in the general area of the top ten, but never took away any of the essential tennis events of the year.

This tournament showed that he is very much still a threat.

Tsonga edged him to reach the final, with the match much closer than the scoreline suggested. Hopefully Berdych will step up for a successful 2012, as he has never quite lived up to his potential.

Djokovic Hasn't Recovered

Unfortunately, the World Tour Finals were not reflective of just how amazing a year the World No. 1 has had. 

He looked exhausted and increasingly frustrated with his game, losing to opponents he was more than capable of defeating had he been at his best or even near it.

Hopefully he'll be able to heal in time for the Australian Open next year.