What's at Stake at the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London
Continuing our tradition from past year-end Finals, we analyze the players competing in the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Everyone who qualified has had a very strong year, but the results of this final tennis tournament of the year matter in
different ways for each of them. In the round robin matches, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Andy Roddick face off in one group. In the other group, Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, Andy Murray and David Ferrer play each other.
So what’s at stake for each of the players listed below (in order of their final standing in the points race for the Tour Finals)?
Rafael Nadal – It’s been a career year for Rafa and so a win in London would be a sweet way to end the year, but since he hasn’t played for several weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t take home the title. However, Rafa’s competitive juices will definitely be flowing since he played poorly in London last year and he will want to improve on that showing.
Roger Federer – 2010 has been an interesting year for Roger and winning the title would “book-end” his year since he started off the year with the title at the Australian Open. Given his record at the other three Slams this year and surprising losses at times, it would be an upbeat end to the season if he could win it all. Regardless of his finish, he’ll still be a major threat at every Slam in 2011.
Novak Djokovic – He has to be feeling some of the effects of the long season and his strong play in the second half of the year. Clearly, he’ll be trying to win in London, but his focus may be more on the Davis Cup Final in Belgrade in early December.
Andy Murray – He faces the expectations and hopes of the hometown British fans, as well as his need/desire to win a “mini-major” event as a precursor to capturing a Grand Slam singles title. All eyes will be on him at the O2 and he definitely has a chance to salvage a relatively mediocre year and slipping ranking (he’s now fifth) with a strong finish.
Robin Soderling – He has established himself as a member the top ten for the second year in a row and heads into the O2 on a high after winning his first Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. The next step would be to win a Grand Slam and capturing the title in London would be a fantastic step in that direction. The challenge is beating so many top players in one event.
Tomas Berdych – He is making his debut in the Finals after also reaching the Wimbledon final for the first time and ending the year in the top ten for the first time. He has shown he can beat all the top players, but now he needs to put it all together to win a major. He has played poorly in the past few months so a strong showing would end his year on a high note heading into 2011.
David Ferrer – He is making his second appearance in the Finals and also will end the year in the top ten for the second time in his career. His scrappy style of play has elevated him into the top ten, but the challenge is beating those players ahead of him. He won the title in Valencia a few weeks ago, but a title in London would be a shocker to most tennis pundits.
Andy Roddick – He clinched the eighth and final spot in the Finals for the eighth consecutive year after having a less than stellar season which included a mild case of mono and an injury break this fall. He needs a strong showing to get some of his mojo back and prove to himself and the rest of the field that he should still be considered a Slam contender in 2011.
So what’s at stake for each of the players listed below (in order of their final standing in the points race for the Tour Finals)?
Rafael Nadal – It’s been a career year for Rafa and so a win in London would be a sweet way to end the year, but since he hasn’t played for several weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t take home the title. However, Rafa’s competitive juices will definitely be flowing since he played poorly in London last year and he will want to improve on that showing.
Roger Federer – 2010 has been an interesting year for Roger and winning the title would “book-end” his year since he started off the year with the title at the Australian Open. Given his record at the other three Slams this year and surprising losses at times, it would be an upbeat end to the season if he could win it all. Regardless of his finish, he’ll still be a major threat at every Slam in 2011.
Novak Djokovic – He has to be feeling some of the effects of the long season and his strong play in the second half of the year. Clearly, he’ll be trying to win in London, but his focus may be more on the Davis Cup Final in Belgrade in early December.
Andy Murray – He faces the expectations and hopes of the hometown British fans, as well as his need/desire to win a “mini-major” event as a precursor to capturing a Grand Slam singles title. All eyes will be on him at the O2 and he definitely has a chance to salvage a relatively mediocre year and slipping ranking (he’s now fifth) with a strong finish.
Robin Soderling – He has established himself as a member the top ten for the second year in a row and heads into the O2 on a high after winning his first Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. The next step would be to win a Grand Slam and capturing the title in London would be a fantastic step in that direction. The challenge is beating so many top players in one event.
Tomas Berdych – He is making his debut in the Finals after also reaching the Wimbledon final for the first time and ending the year in the top ten for the first time. He has shown he can beat all the top players, but now he needs to put it all together to win a major. He has played poorly in the past few months so a strong showing would end his year on a high note heading into 2011.
David Ferrer – He is making his second appearance in the Finals and also will end the year in the top ten for the second time in his career. His scrappy style of play has elevated him into the top ten, but the challenge is beating those players ahead of him. He won the title in Valencia a few weeks ago, but a title in London would be a shocker to most tennis pundits.
Andy Roddick – He clinched the eighth and final spot in the Finals for the eighth consecutive year after having a less than stellar season which included a mild case of mono and an injury break this fall. He needs a strong showing to get some of his mojo back and prove to himself and the rest of the field that he should still be considered a Slam contender in 2011.
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