Thoughts On Current Tennis Players?

[JarodA]

I don't really know a lot about the current players but I've done a bit of research prompted by a couple of tournaments, one for men and one for women which are going on in my home country at the moment (a few hours away from where I live sadly).

Anyway, I don't have a lot of strong feelings in terms of preference but I'd love to see Elena Dementieva win a slam already. She's 27 already, and she's been a model of consistency for ages but has never been higher than #4. I'd like to see her raise her ranking maybe even to top ranking and see her win a slam. 27 isn't usually too far off retirement age in tennis and she's been so consistent for a long time it would be a shame to see her retire without at least a slam and a higher ranking than #4.

For men, hurry up James Blake! He's even older than Dementieva and I'd love to see this guy win a slam. Apart from Blake, I'd love to see Juan Martin del Potro improve his ranking. I'm sure he will.

Also, I have a feeling that Federer's a tad washed up. He's still better than most of course, but he seems to have trouble beating even Andy Murray these days. But I know you can't write the likes of Federer off. He may win another slam, who knows, but I have a feeling his ranking will begin to slip soon and Murray and others will surpass him.

 

[TriBi]

Well - Dementieva seems to be on a bit of a roll at the moment - she just walloped Serena in straight sets:
http://www.medibankinternational.com.au/2009/01/dementieva-stops-serena
Mind you, Serena really hasn't been playing well and it will be interesting to see how she goes against Dara Safina in the final - and how she follows her Sydney performance in the Australian Open.

As for Federer - I think there is little doubt that, while still formidable (and capable of winning another Major) he is past his best. I would take exception to your comment about "he seems to have trouble beating even Andy Murray these days". I have been saying for about 2 years now that I believe Murray has the potential to win a major. He has had the shots, the game, for a while. Over the last 18 months he has been developing the belief in himself - and in the last year he has worked on his strength (look at his physique now compared to 2 years ago).

My prediction - I think Murray will be world #1 within the next 12 months - and very soon no-one will be wondering about his ability to beat Roger (or anyone else).

 

[breion]

We're all going Nadal crazy right now, but I wonder if he's ever going to do much on the hardcourt. He works so hard to lap the field on clay and grass that his knees and body fail by the time they get to NYC in August.

Novak Djokovic has the tools to be the all-around dominant player that Roger Federer has been. But, he has a lot of growing up to do. I think Andy Murray falls into this category too, but not to the extent that No-Djok does. Federer's better days are gone, but I think he's good enough for 2-3 more slams in the next couple years. He mentioned after winning doubles gold at the Olympics that we may see him do more of that in the future.

Blake and Roddick are two of the most overrated players ever. We get bombarded with them here in the USA to the point that I get sick of hearing about them. Roddick is now with Larry Stefanki, and if he can't A-Rod to the top, nobody will.

I really have no feelings on the women's players at this point. None of them impress me that much, other than the Williams sisters (when they feel like trying). However, if Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams ever want to have a threesome, they can send me a private message through the site here. hahaha

Coverage of the Aussie Open begins at 7pm ET on ESPN2 on Sunday night. Can't wait!

 

[JarodA]

Well - Dementieva seems to be on a bit of a roll at the moment - she just walloped Serena in straight sets:
http://www.medibankinternational.com...a-stops-serena
Mind you, Serena really hasn't been playing well and it will be interesting to see how she goes against Dara Safina in the final - and how she follows her Sydney performance in the Australian Open.

Not sure if you heard but adding to what you said about Dementieva on a roll at the moment, she won a tournament in Auckland last week so to follow it up with a place in the finals of another tournament the second week, well, yeah, that's a hot streak.

I guess in Dementieva's case, winning Olympic Gold is as good as winning a slam.

My prediction - I think Murray will be world #1 within the next 12 months - and very soon no-one will be wondering about his ability to beat Roger (or anyone else).

Andy Murray looks to have a very bright future ahead, I agree. I guess it is highly possible that he may supplant Nadal as #1, but at the moment Nadal seems to have a comfortable lead over Murray on points (that is if the ATP site doesn't need updating or something).

Novak Djokovic has the tools to be the all-around dominant player that Roger Federer has been. But, he has a lot of growing up to do.

Maybe the ATP site needs updating, but I'm sure just yesterday the commentators of the current men's tournament in Auckland, New Zealand said that Murray had replaced Djokovic as world #3.

Blake and Roddick are two of the most overrated players ever. We get bombarded with them here in the USA to the point that I get sick of hearing about them. Roddick is now with Larry Stefanki, and if he can't A-Rod to the top, nobody will.

Well, I agree that Roddick is past his prime, not to mention a bit of a one-trick pony, but at least he's won a slam. In Blake's case, he's still just holding on to Top 10 status having never got past the quarterfinals of a slam, so he must be doing something right.

It seems only natural that USA would focus on USA players a lot.

 

[JackFTwist]

Two words: Andy Murray.

 

[Fedfan]

I think (and would like) Federer to win. He steps up a gear for the slams and is determined to beat Sampras's record of 14 and regain the world No. 1 ranking. Nadal struggles on hard courts as they are too fast and will be beaten by Murray in the semi's anyway. It'll be a Federer-Murray final with Federer taking the title. Though as a Brit I wouldn't mind if Murray does win.

Maybe the ATP site needs updating, but I'm sure just yesterday the commentators of the current men's tournament in Auckland, New Zealand said that Murray had replaced Djokovic as world #3.

Djokovic is around 3400 points ahead of Murray though he's defending 2000 points from winning the Australian Open last year whilst Murray is only defending 10. Murray is likely to be world No.3 after the tournament has finished and I think he will become world No. 1 next year.

The women's game is a bit of a joke. Jankovic hasn't won a slam yet is the world No. 1. I'd like Anne Keovathong (British No. 1 and World No. 53) to win though I think thats pretty unlikely. I would say Venus is the likely winner beating Safina (or maybe Ivanovic) in the final. Dementieva won't win with her terrible serve and would likely have to beat both Williams sisters to even reach the final.

 

[JarodA]

The women's game is a bit of a joke. Jankovic hasn't won a slam yet is the world No. 1. I'd like Anne Keovathong (British No. 1 and World No. 53) to win though I think thats pretty unlikely. I would say Venus is the likely winner beating Safina (or maybe Ivanovic) in the final. Dementieva won't win with her terrible serve and would likely have to beat both Williams sisters to even reach the final.

I reckon Dementieva has a stronger chance than you may think. She's won two tournaments over the past two weeks, so no other player's lead-up form has been as good as her. She could even make it all the way to the final the rate she's been going. Whether she'd win it or not would depend on who she faced (based on past results Venus or Jankovic would probably beat her, while she would beat Ivanovic or Safina), but the way she's been going she could easily take out Serena out of the Williams' sisters anyway.

It looks like Sports Illustrated has Dementieva tipped as the favourite to win the womens, and Murray to win the mens.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_wertheim/01/16/womens.seeds/?eref=sircrc