The 2008 men's tennis season was full of
highlights, but the biggest ones were provided by Rafael Nadal, who halted
Roger Federer's five-year reign at Wimbledon and supplanted the mighty Swiss
atop the rankings, a perch Federer owned for a record 4 1/2 years without
interruption.
Nadal was easily the ATP player of the year, posting a brilliant 82-11 record
and piling up a tour-best eight titles. Three of his championships came at
three of the sexiest events, as the lefty captured his first-ever Wimbledon
title by stunning Federer, secured a fourth straight French Open crown by
besting Federer in the final for a third straight year, and also won Olympic
gold at the Summer Games in Beijing. He became the first-ever male to win
those three events in the same year, and did it on three different surfaces.
So much for him being a one-trick (clay) pony.
FYI, Nadal became the first lefthander to win at least 80 matches in a season
since Thomas Muster turned the trick in 1995, and only the third player this
decade to win at least 80, joining Federer, who did it in 2005 (81 wins) and
2006 (92), and Lleyton Hewitt (80 in 2001).
The five-time major champion Nadal posted the biggest win of his career by
outlasting Federer in arguably the greatest men's final in the history of
Grand Slam tennis. It was practically dark at the All England Club when Rafa
finally finished off the super Swiss, who fought back from two-sets-to-love
down to force a fifth and deciding set, which Nadal ultimately pulled out to
capture the world's most prestigious tennis tourney and halt Federer's amazing
grass-court winning streak at 65 matches. A series of rain delays also played
into the drama at SW19, which wound up staging its longest-ever final that
day.
The 22-year-old Rafa became the first Spaniard in 42 years (Manuel Santana in
1966) to reign supreme at Wimbledon, and also became the first man to capture
the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Bjorn Borg back in 1980.
The iconic Borg won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year on three
occasions.
Things were a bit less dramatic for Nadal at Roland Garros, where he battered
Federer in straight sets to become only the second man in the Open Era (since
1968) to rattle off four straight French Open championships. The only other
man to win four consecutive French Open titles in the Open Era was Borg.
Nadal cemented his No. 1 status by dominating Federer with four wins in as
many tries in his great 2008.
Rafa also captured three Masters Series events this year and was the runner-up
at two other tournaments, as he appeared in 10 finals all told (8-2). All
these accomplishments helped him become the first-ever Spanish year-end No. 1.
The fiery southpaw wound up with over $6.77 million in prize money in '08
and saw his career take eclipse $20.75 million.
That's some serious cake (unless, of course, you compare him to Federer).
Unfortunately for Nadal, a knee injury and fatigue forced the Mallorcan star
from competing at the exclusive Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai and the Davis
Cup final between his victorious Spanish teammates and host Argentina in Mar
del Plata.
Let's move on to Federer, who sat atop the rankings for a record 237
consecutive weeks before falling behind Rafa.
FYI, Pete Sampras holds the record for weeks at No. 1, with 286. He just
didn't do it in consecutive fashion.
As far as Roger is concerned, he had what you would have to consider another
great season, it just wasn't great for him if you compare it to his previous
campaigns.
Roger settled for just one Grand Slam title, which came at the U.S. Open,
where he became the first man in the Open Era to capture five straight titles
in New York. He currently owns 13 major championships, which leaves him just
one shy of Sampras' record haul of 14. Most "experts" assumed that
Federer would break or tie Pete's record in 2008, but players like Nadal and
Novak Djokovic kept that from happening. Djokovic stunned Federer in straight
sets in the semifinals at the Australian Open, and he gave way to Nadal in
both the French Open and Wimbledon finals.
Still, the exquisite Swiss has won at least one major title six years running,
was the only player to perform in three Grand Slam finals this year, and is
the only player in the history of the sport to reach 18 straight major semis.
That's incredible!
The 27-year-old Federer posted a 66-16 record in 2008, including a mere (for
him) four titles on his way to $5.88 million in prize money. The sweet-
swingin' Swiss already holds a number of tennis records, but perhaps none is
bigger than his career prize money one, as he surpassed Sampras this year to
become the sport's all-time money leader.
Federer currently stands at just over $44.59 million.
In addition to his Wimbledon setback, the 57-time ATP titlist Federer also
lost his two-year hold on the Masters Cup title, which went to Djokovic, who
is only a few points behind the Swiss superstar for the second spot on the ATP
rankings list.
Federer, who battled mono in the early part of the year, wound up going 4-4 in
his eight finals this season, with all four losses coming against...who
else...Rafa.
In the category of consolation prize for Federer, he failed to claim singles
gold in Beijing, but he paired with countryman Stanislas Wawrinka to bring
home the doubles gold from China. The "big" titles that have eluded Roger's
grasp, thus far, are the French Open, Davis Cup and an Olympic singles
championship.
Moving on.
The "Big Three" in men's tennis has actually turned into the "Big Four," if
you ask me, as Rafa, Roger and Djokovic have been joined in the upper echelon
by quality Brit Andy Murray.
Federer still believes that he and Rafa are the players to beat on the men's
tour, but Djokovic and Murray have basically proven otherwise.
The 21-year-old Djokovic had a solid '08 campaign, going 64-17, including four
titles in seven finals.
The steady world No. 3 Serb captured his first-ever major by running the table
at the Aussie Open, including the huge victory over Federer in the semis, and
capped his season by capturing his first-ever Masters Cup crown. He also
claimed a bronze medal in Beijing, and reached semifinals at the French and
U.S. Opens.
That's some serious tennis.
But the Djoker's certainly going to have to do better against Nadal, as he's
4-10 lifetime against the Spaniard, including a 2-4 mark this past season.
Djokovic pocketed just under $5.7 million this year and has tallied just over
$10.5 million since turning pro back in 2003.
As for Murray, the 21-year-old Scotsman crossed the '08 finish line with a
58-16 record, including five titles in six finals. His only loss in a final
came at the U.S. Open, where Federer beat the Brit, who was playing in his
first-ever major finale.
Murray's biggest titles came at Masters Series events in Cincinnati and
Madrid. And he went 3-1 for the year against Federer to improve to 4-2
lifetime against the former No. 1, including a victory in round-robin action
at the Masters Cup, where Murray was playing for the first time and knocked
Federer out of semifinal contention with an almost-predictable win.
Murray also had a winning record against Djokovic (2-1), but went just 1-3
versus the muscular Nadal. Fortunately for Murray, his lone victory against
Nadal came in the semis at the U.S. Open.
The fourth-ranked Dunblane native went over $3.7 million in prize money for
the year, easily his best season since turning pro in 2005, and played like a
future No. 1 over the last four months of 2008.
Will Murray ever reach No. 1?
I'm sayin' yes.
Speedy world No. 5 Russian Nikolay Davydenko enjoyed another fine season. In
addition to being cleared in an ATP investigation into a gambling accusation
from 2007, the Russian went 56-21 and won three titles while reaching five
finals, including a trek into his first-ever Masters Cup finale, where he
ultimately fell to Djokovic.
The 27-year-old Davydenko notched his biggest championship at the so-called
"Fifth Major" in Miami, which marked only his second-ever Masters Series
title. He upset a heavily-favored Nadal in straight sets in the final in south
Florida.
Davydenko also surprised the surging Murray in the semifinals at the Masters
Cup.
Surprisingly, however, the gritty Russian star failed to reach even one Grand
Slam quarterfinal for the first time since 2004.
Concern?
Sure.
One of the pleasant surprises of the year was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The flashy
Frenchman slugged his way into his first-ever major final, at the Aussie Open,
where he shocked Nadal in the semis.
The sixth-ranked Jo-Willy, who entered the year ranked 43rd in the world, also
landed in his first-ever Tennis Masters Cup, joining the eight-man field with
the help of a big last-minute title at the Paris Masters. The 23-year-old Le
Mans native went 34-14 in 2008, including his first two titles on the circuit.
The sky could be the limit for this ultra-talented, but oft-injured, star.
The quietest Top-10 performance was turned in by another 23-year-old
Frenchman, Gilles Simon. The Nice native reached his first-ever Tennis
Masters Cup when Nadal withdrew from the prestigious event due to injury the
week before.
Simon is all the way up to seventh in the world, after opening the year at No.
29. He piled up 51 match wins (51-27) and took home three titles. Simon also
reached a Masters Series final in Madrid (lost to Murray) and beat Federer
twice this year, including a stunning victory in the round-robin portion of
the Masters Cup. His other shocking win over the Fed came at a Masters Series
event in Canada.
Yet another rising star jumped into the spotlight this year -- 20-year-old
Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.
JMdP went 46-15 and captured the first four titles of his career, all in
succession. He rattled off four titles in as many tourneys just prior to the
U.S. Open, winning no less than 23 straight matches at one point.
Wow!
His torrid win streak finally ended with a quarterfinal loss against an
equally-as-hot Murray at the U.S. Open.
The 6-foot-6 del Potro appeared in five finals (4-1) and crossed the finish
line at No. 9 in the world, after opening the year at No. 44. Unfortunately, a
fatigued "delPo" closed out his season by dropping five of his last seven
matches, including a crucial one in the Argentina-Spain Davis Cup final.
The once-mighty U.S. still has two guys inside the Top 10, but Andy Roddick
(8th) and James Blake (10th) have just not been serious threats at the majors.
An American male hasn't won a Grand Slam event since Roddick prevailed at the
2003 U.S. Open.
Roddick parted ways with coach Jimmy Connors and will head into 2009 with
Larry Stefanki at his side. The 51-year-old Stefanki has worked with the likes
of Fernando Gonzalez, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marcelo Rios, Tim Henman and the
legendary John McEnroe. Stefanki mentored the 2008 Olympic silver medalist
"Gonzo" for the last three years.
The 26-year-old former U.S. Open champ and former top-ranked Roddick went
49-18 in 2008, including three titles in four finals. He finally got off the
schneid against Federer, as he beat the smooth Swiss in a quarterfinal at the
Masters Series event in Miami to improve to 2-15 lifetime against him.
But in a disappointing move, A-Rod decided against playing at the Beijing
Olympics, preferring to stay at home in order to prepare for a run at the U.S.
Open. The American star bowed out at the hands of Djokovic in the
quarterfinals in Flushing, which marked his lone quarterfinal appearance at a
major this year.
Roddick's prize money came in at a paltry (paltry?) $1.337 million.
Note: One of Roddick's three titles this year came at an ATP event in Beijing,
a month after the Games concluded in the Chinese capital.
Another Note: Roddick was one of three players to beat Nadal, Federer and
Djokovic this year. Murray and Simon were the others.
When it comes to Blake, you have to think that this is a guy that will never
win a major. He continues to hang around the Top 10, but it has become
increasingly obvious that a Grand Slam title is not in the offing for the
former Harvard student.
His season was highlighted by a big victory over Federer at the Olympics,
but the 28-year-old Yonkers native failed to title anywhere, while going
47-24, with a pair of runner-up finishes at Delray Beach and Houston.
Aside from Roddick and Blake, the Americans place only two more men inside the
world's Top 50 -- Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey.
Where have you gone David Wheaton?
Honorable mention this year goes to a pair of men who finished just outside
the Top 10 -- Argentine David Nalbandian and Spaniard David Ferrer. The former
Wimbledon runner-up and former Masters Cup champion Nalbandian went 44-16 with
a pair of titles in five finals, while Ferrer came in at 44-23 with two titles
(and a Davis Cup championship).
The new Davis Cup champs hail from Spain, which upset the host Argentines 3-1
in the final, with Fernando Verdasco, playing in place of Ferrer, outlasting
Jose Acasuso in a five-set thriller in the fourth rubber. The Nadal-less tie
featured three of the Top-12 players in the world, but the final match was
decided by a pair of players outside the Top 15. Including the doubles rubber
in Mar del Plata, Verdasco went 2-0 for the week, as did his fellow lefthander
Feliciano Lopez, who played alongside Verdasco in the dubs and won his singles
match on Day 1 of the final.
Shifting gears.
Did You Know? Australia does not have a player in the Top 50 for the first
time since 1991. The aforementioned former world No. 1 Hewitt is currently
ranked 67th and failed to win a title of any kind for the first time since
joining the ATP in 1998.
Where have you gone Wally Masur?
And some ATP veterans rode off into the sunset (retired) this year, including
former world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten, long-time Swedish performer Jonas Bjorkman
and Spaniard Felix Mantilla. "Guga" is best known as a three-time French Open
champion and is the only Brazilian player and one of only two South Americans
(Marcelo Rios) to ever reach No. 1. He was one of the most popular players in
the history of the sport, on and off the court.
The men's tour will rev up again in the first week of January.
Hang in there until then.
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