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However, the line-up for season finale at the O2 Arena in London, where the top eight players in the standings compete in the World Tour Finals, is still largely undecided.
On account of their form in the Slams both Nadal and Federer are guaranteed a place in London … but the other six places remain very much up for grabs.
Next in line come Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Surprisingly both have only won once during the season and that’s why neither is 100% assured of making the end of season championships. However, it would take a seismic shift in the rankings for either player to miss out.
Barring such a miracle that still leaves half of the 8 places unresolved at this late stage of the campaign. Robin Soderling in 5th spot is well-placed to qualify and Tomas Berdych, after big performances in Paris and London during the Summer, comes next on the list. Both these guys will only have themselves to blame should they fail to make it to the November showpiece.
The interesting battles will come further down the list, especially with Masters Series events (offering some big ranking points) to come in Shanghai and Paris.
Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and Mikhail Youzhny look certain to be in the shake-up. The first three have been in poor form recently and will need to up their performances. Youzhny, on the back of a run to the semis in New York, clearly has momentum.
Injury has blighted the seasons of Nikolay Davydenko, Juan-Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Gonzalez. They will have to start again from scratch in 2011.
Finally, guys like Jurgen Melzer, Marin Cilic and Mardy Fish must retain some small hope of making the line-up but, realistically, each must achieve a Masters Series win in order to boost their chances.
The finals moved to London from Shanghai in 2009 with Nikolay Davydenko winning the title after a 6-3 6-4 victory over Del Potro. Roger Federer will be looking for a record equalling 5th title this year (Ivan Lendl won five times between 1981 and 1987).
Rafael Nadal will be chasing his first world crown this year and is keen to add this prize to his impressive haul for the season.
“My goal remains for me that the [Barclays ATP World Tour Finals] is probably the last big tournament that I didn’t win,” said the Spaniard after his US Open win.
“It’s the most difficult title for me to win because we play it indoors … so gonna be always very difficult if we don’t change that. But at the same time is a challenge for me to keep improving to have the chance to play well there and to have the chance to win, so that’s what I’m gonna try this year.”
The Spanish star, who won the US Open last week after overcoming Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the final, has announced he will take part in the 2011 Aegon Championships, which run from June 6th to 12th.
Playing in front of fans with Aegon tickets has proved to be something of a good luck charm for Nadal in the past, with the 24-year-old reaching the Wimbledon final shortly after each of his four previous appearances at The Queen's Club.
Commenting on the news, Nadal revealed he loves taking part in the tournament because of its traditional setting and his relationship with the local fans.
"Every time I have played there I have felt very welcome because of the British people and their support," he explained.
He added that playing in the 2010 championships had "definitely" helped him prepare for his victory at Wimbledon.
Former world No. 1 tennis player Roger Federer announced on Wednesday that he will not be participating in Switzerland's Davis Cup match in Kazakhstan this weekend. On his official website, Federer said that he is trying to stay fresh for the rest of the season and that he needs time to relax after "intense weeks" of recent North American competition.
Over the last month and a half, Federer has seen his share of action. In early August, he reached the final at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, and lost in straight sets to Andy Murray. Later that month, he won the Cincinnati Masters with a victory over American Mardy Fish. Federer also reached the semi-final at the U.S. Open, losing a close and intense five-set match to eventual finalist Novak Djokovic.
By skipping the Davis Cup match, Federer is not scheduled to play until the Shanghai Masters, which begins on October 10.
Without Federer, the Swiss team will now be led by Stanislas Wawrinka, who made it to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, and lost to Mikhail Youzhny. Switzerland will travel to Astana on Friday for the playoffs against Kazakhstan, to see which country will advance to the world group in the Davis Cup competition next year.
Federer began the year ranked No. 1 and early on, it looked like Federer was ready to dominate, especially after winning the Australian Open in January. But he did not reach the semi-finals at both the French Open in May and Wimbledon in June, losing his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal, who won both titles, as well as the U.S. Open, to takeover Federer’s distinctive lead in the rankings. With his loss at the U.S. Open to Djokovic, Federer dipped to No. 3 in the rankings, with Djokovic moving up to No. 2.
The tournament has only just ended but, as always, we are already looking back on it fondly.
The crowd, the energy and the constant noise have been replaced by silence, focus and emptiness. Only the finalists remain.
And, for once, Roger Federer wasn't among those finalists; he fell in the semi-finals, beaten by Novak Djokovic after missing two match points.
It's a year now since the Swiss player stopped being totally convincing. We were used to way better form from him. He is no longer steady and consistent enough during his matches.
Yet we were kind of reassured by his summer. He was playing so much better. His matches against Djokovic and Tomas Berdych in Toronto brought the 'old Roger' back: focused from the first to the last point, crushing, offensive.
His footwork was again in shape and his whole game was benefiting from it, and so we had huge ambitions for him in New York.
But in the US Open he didn't display any of this. Moving too slow, not really inspired in his attacking game and lacking aggression, Roger has once again showed a face that we're starting to get used to.
And so here are the questions that are now surfacing. Are those losses evidence of the fading of King Federer? Is Roger the victim of a motivational crisis after the birth of his daughters - but also after his French Open and Wimbledon double in 2009? Is the Swiss player injured?
He has already admitted that he had been playing many matches with an injured back. If we're paying a lot of attention to the way he played in New York, to the way he moved, we could easily believe it.
Anyway, this Federer isn't the big champion we know he is. He will have to solve, and fast, all his issues, mentally and physically.
Otherwise, he won't be able to win Grand Slams again; not with this level of play, even if it's enough for now to get to the quarter- or semi-finals.
On the other hand, Rafael Nadal is having an amazingly successful season, with three Grand Slams and three Masters 1000 under his belt. He only failed at the Australian Open, pulling out injured during his match against Andy Murray - but having already played great tennis.
Rafa is bossing the whole field and, most impressively of all, he's doing it on every surface.
He keeps improving on his serve and his backhand. The intensity he can display and his focus make him a rare kind of player. I've never seen anyone able to hit each ball from January 1 to December 31 with the same power and will to succeed. If he can stay healthy, he could prevent Federer from winning any further majors.
Novak Djokovic has been the positive story of this summer.
Struggling a lot during the first part of the year, he prepared perfectly for the US Open. He worked so hard and arrived physically fit, which is key for him.
His serve is mainly back, a problem solved with Todd Martin's input, and finally his forehand is a weapon again and helps him to dictate the game when he needs to.
He had the good fortune to meet a not-so-inspired Federer in this semi-final though. For sure Nole is on the right path but if he wants to win another Grand Slam, confronted by those two giants, Federer and Nadal, it seems like the road is still pretty long.
Disillusion is the most suited word for what happened, again, to Andy Murray. He's really having a disappointing season.
He was seen as the number one outsider following his victory in Toronto where he beat Nadal and Federer - but ended up falling in the third round to Stanislas Wawrinka.
The Scotsman is still capable of the best as much as he is of the worst. That has been his main issue for two years now. He can't find a way to maintain a steady level and it's still really hard to find a guideline in his game.
The amazing talent is still there, but he hasn't succeeded in finding his own style whereas the best players are always using the same weapons from one match to another, finding intensity and confidence.
As far as Tomas Berdych goes, he has improved a lot this year and he's way more consistent than he used to be. He reached the final at Wimbledon and the semi-final of the French Open.
Yet, as I've already said, I still feel he's not at the same level as the top players. His game is really clean but maybe too predictable and lacking of diversity. At the US Open, Michael Lodra and his unique way of playing knocked him out in straight sets.
A word finally on Marcos Baghdatis and David Nalbandian, who also didn't confirm their return to the top level. They are often brilliant in less important events, but it's the Grand Slams that are career-makers. Seeing them back in shape is encouraging - but we'll have to keep an eye on them in the months to come.