2012 Tennis Season Opens and a Resurgent Roger Federer Could Dominate

Djokovic and Federer at the Barclays in London.

The 2012 professional tennis season is officially underway this week, and the top-ranked players in the world are interspersed at three different venues across Asia and Australia. This year promises to deliver excitement from the start, as we pick up immediately on several dramatic storylines that were left open when last season ended, just a few short weeks ago.

In 2011, we witnessed an astonishing juggernaut performance from Novak Djokovic, who were it not for Roger Federer and a bum shoulder, could have easily posted an undefeated season. We saw Rafa Nadal struggle, by his standards, while continuing his French Open and Davis Cup domination. Many of us expected to see Andy Murray finally hoist a trophy at one of tennis’ four majors in 2011. Alas, he made the semi-finals in each event, but won none of them. The anticipated decline of our sport’s greatest player, Roger Federer, appeared to be on schedule last year, until his torturous title drought ended with a fantastic finishing sweep of the final three tournaments of the season.

Monfils and Tsonga

Last year also gave rise to a bounty of talented challengers. The pair of French showmen, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, hardworking Spanish veteran David Ferrer, rebounding Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro, and late-blooming American Mardy Fish significantly raised the level of their games. Each of these fierce competitors edged ever closer to the level of play required to firmly position themselves among the elite group atop the sport, but none of them actually did so. By the end of 2011, the fantastic foursome – Novak, Rafa, Andy, and Roger – held tight to their stranglehold on tennis’ premiere events, winning all nine Masters level tournaments and all four majors. It seems likely that this trend of domination by the top four will end in 2012, but with so little separation between the second tier players, it’s difficult to know who will break through first.

Federer Wins Third Straight Title

Photo: UK/Reuters

Roger Federer prevailed over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga today in the ATP Tour Finals today in London. With the top three seeds failing to make the semi-finals, only Tsonga stood between Federer and his third title in as many weeks of play.

I hate to say I told you so (see last week's blog post - Federer Poised For End of Season Sweep), but I did.

The ATP Tour Finals tournament concludes the professional tennis "season," and now players will have six-eight weeks off before they have to kick it in gear again and head to Australia. Hopefully, the nearly two month break will allow the younger players to rest up and be prepared for next year. With three consecutive victories to close out the 2011 season and many of his younger challengers suffering various ailments and injuries of late, it seems the 30 year-old Federer may not be finished with his domination of the sport.