Tag Archives: Power Rankings

Tennis Power Rankings 2013: Chile and Beyond

11 Feb

Dan Martin’s 2013 Power Ranking #2 

1.  Novak Djokovic – Nole is still in control.

2.  Andy Murray - He’s posted a 19-2 match record at the 3 most recent Grand Slam events.

3.  Roger Federer – Will Rotterdam move Federer into a tie for career titles with John McEnroe?

4.  David Ferrer – Horacio Zeballos preserved Ferrer’s #4 ranking.

5.  Rafael Nadal – A runner-up finish in his first event back on tour has Nadal in a holding pattern.  He did not look rusty, but he lost for only the 5th time in a clay court final.

6.  Richard Gasquet – With two titles under his belt in 2013, Gasquet is poised for a strong year.  Change since last ranking +2

7.  Tomas Berdych – He did nothing wrong, but the big man had to make room for Gasquet.  Change since last ranking – 1

8.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – See #7.  Change since last ranking – 1 

9.  Horacio Zeballos - Anyone who beats Nadal in a clay court final gets some love.  Change since last ranking – Unranked

10.  Jeremy Chardy – His quarterfinal showing in Melbourne and semifinal in Chile land him in the top 10, but I would not bank on Chardy or Zeballos staying in my top 10 for long.  Marin Cilic could easily occupy the 9 0r 10 slot for this ranking.

Biggest Mover – Richard Gasquet +2

Dropped Out – Juan Martin del Potro

Entered the Rankings – Horacio Zeballos 

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Post US Open Power Ranking – The Rise of Andy Murray

11 Sep

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Ranking

Post US Open Edition

  1. Andy Murray – He has won the most recent Grand Slam event as well as a Gold Medal in singles.  Murray is riding high.  I am not sure where this will lead, but two things are fact.  First, Murray is no longer the best player to never win a Grand Slam title.  Second, Ivan Lendl has made a huge impact on Murray’s mental game.  Change from last ranking +2 
  2. Novak Djokovic - Nole played well enough in the 3rd and 4th sets to know that his A game is still the best in the world.  Still, 2012 is a drop off from the consistent excellence he demonstrated in 2011.  Nole is probably the best player in the world, but at the last 4 big events he lost to Nadal, Federer, and Murray (twice).  Nole has to reassert his focus and his confidence on his rivals if he is to become a dominant number one again.
  3. Roger Federer – Is the Roger Federer who won Wimbledon and Cincinnati recently the Roger we will see going forward?  Is the Roger Federer who struggled against Novak in Paris, against Murray in the Olympic games and lost to Berdych in New York the Roger we will see going forward?  We will see both in the next 2-3 years.  Roger can still play at a high level, but at 31 he needs more ideal circumstances and a few breaks to see that level as frequently as we once did.  Change since last ranking – 2
  4. Rafael Nadal – Rafa won the French Open, 3 other clay court events and lost an epic Australian Open final.  Until those points start to fall off, he is pretty well encamped in my top 4.  Nadal’s recovery is a huge story.  If the gang of 4 remains in tact, tennis is in a state of stability. However, if Rafa declines or is absent, a lot more opportunities for reaching Grand Slam final weekends exist.
  5. David Ferrer – His win vs. Tipsarevic alone speaks well of Ferrer.  The other Spaniard finally reached the final four at the French Open and got destroyed by Nadal.  Ferrer responded by winning a grass court event, pushing Murray hard in the Wimbledon quarterfinal round, and reaching his second US Open semifinal.  Change since last ranking +2 
  6. Tomas Berdych – The big Czech looked like a Grand Slam force in 2010.  His play in New York reminds us that this is still possible.  His lousy grass court season is in the past.  Change from last ranking +4
  7. Janko Tipsarevic – Tipsy is not helping his q rating or any good guy status he may have had after ugly twitter wars.  Still, Janko has played well in 2012 and also displayed an excellent level of fight at the US Open.  Change from last ranking – Not Ranked 
  8. Marin Cilic – The Croatian has slowly returned to his 2009 and early 2010 form.  Change from last ranking – Not Ranked  
  9. Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo reached his 3rd Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year, but his ability to beat top players is coming into question.  His wrist and knees are perhaps putting his game into a plateau.   Change from last week – 4
  10. Nicolas Almagro - Nico had a reasonably good showing in New York.

Biggest Movers – Tomas Berdych +4 and Juan Martin del Potro – 4

Newcomers – Marin Cilic and Janko Tipsarevic

Dropped Out – John Isner, Richard Gasquet, and Juan Monaco.

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Power Ranking for the Week of June 11 – June 17

11 Jun

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of June 11 through June 17

The French Open Reshapes My Top 10

1.  Rafael Nadal - A French Open title, two Masters 1000 titles and 3 consecutive wins over Nole have Rafa moving into the top spot.  Change from last ranking +1

2.  Novak Djokovic – Nole surrenders the top spot in my non-binding Power Ranking.  Nole should welcome a chance in surfaces.  Change from last ranking – 1 

3. Roger Federer – The Fed has won a lot of matches and tournaments since the 2011 US Open closed.  Still, he is clearly behind two younger players.  His confidence and mental toughness have dipped against Rafa and Nole too.

4.  David Ferrer - A semifinal in Paris was rewarded with a beating from Rafa.  I will be more kind and reward David with a slot in the top 4.  Change from last ranking +1

5.  Juan Martin del Potro - Delpo is looking solid so long as he can remain healthy.  Confidence and health are all the stands between JMDP and the #3 ranking.  Change from last ranking + 2

6.  Tomas Berdych - If you are looking for a Wimbledon dark horse Berdych is a good candidate.  In 2010, he beat Federer and Djokovic at SW19.  Berdych has been solid in 2012 and will benefit from the surface change.  Change from last ranking – 2

7.  Andy Murray - What has happened to Andy’s promising start to 2012?  I am predicting that the Lendl experiment will not last beyond the US Open. 

8.  Nicolas Almagro – He played Nadal as tough as anyone in the first 6 rounds of the French Open.  Almagro’s serve and power give him a shot at a nice hard court season. 

9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Tsonga turned his game on at the start of the 2011 grass court season.  If he uses some momentum from the French Open, Tsonga could have a big remainder to the year.  If he worries about defending points, Tsonga will struggle.  Change from Last Ranking – Not Ranked

10.  Milos Raonic – He played well enough in Paris to think he could have a big summer on surfaces that reward his serve a bit more.  Change from last week – Not Ranked

Biggest Movers – Rafael Nadal moved to number 1 &  Novak Djokovic dropped off of number 1

Dropped Out of the Rankings – Gilles Simon and Janko Tipsarevic

Entered the Rankings – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic

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Power Rankings for April 1 – April 6

2 Apr

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of April 1 through April 6

1.  Novak Djokovic – Novak is clearly the number one player in the world.  I should not have picked against him in the Sony Ericsson final.

2.  Roger Federer – Fed’s titles in Dubai, Rotterdam and Indian Wells have him holding the number two spot, but had Rafa not pulled out injured I think a loss to Roddick would drop Roger.

3. Rafael Nadal – An Australian Open runner-up finish and semifinal finishes in Indian Wells and Miami are solid, but how healthy is Rafa?

4.  Andy Murray – How much can Andy’s psyche take.  Near misses have to be undermining his confidence.  Still, he reached the final in Miami.  Change from last week + 1.

5.  David Ferrer – Ferrer has played great tennis in 2012.  Change from last week +1.

6. Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo reached the quarters in Miami, but losing to Ferrer gives David the leg up this week.  Change from last week -2.

7.  Nicolas Almagro – Almagro is playing well enough to hold his spot.

8. John Isner – He has no points to defend until Newport so John needs to let it fly on clay.

9.  Juan Monaco -If Monaco gets a favorable draw or at least a manageable draw, I think he will be in the final eight at the 2012 French Open.

10.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga –Hanging in there based on his title in Qatar.  Change from last week – 1.

Dropped Out – Milos Raonic – He has two titles and one runner-up in 2012, but the injury bug is troubling.

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Power Rankings for the Week of March 18 through March 24

18 Mar

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of March 18 through March 24

1.  Novak Djokovic – Novak is still holding the top spot, but his loss to John Isner may mean 2011 is in the past.

2.  Roger Federer – Fed’s titles in Dubai, Rotterdam and Indian Wells have him looking strong.  73 career titles and 19 Masters 1000 titles.  Beating Rafael Nadal is a big thing for Roger as well.  Change from last week +1

3. Rafael Nadal – An Australian Open runner-up finish and a semifinal in Indian Wells is a solid 2012, but losing to a streaking Federer has Rafa slipping a spot.  Change from last week -1.

4. Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo continues to struggle versus Federer, but the two players ahead of him had “bad” losses.  Change from last week +2.

5.  Andy Murray – Losing right out of the gate mars some of Murray’s promising 2012.  I expect Murray to rise once Miami is in the books.  Change from last week – 1.

6.  David Ferrer – Ferrer has played great tennis in 2012, but Indian Wells was not his best showing.  Change from last week -1.

7.  Nicolas Almagro – Almagro is playing well enough to hold his spot.

8. John Isner – Big John debuts after reaching the Indian Wells final while also beating world #1 Novak Djokovic.  Isner is one of the harder players to game plan against because he pretty much dictates how the match will be played.  In the past 52 weeks, Isner has beaten Djokovic and Federer as well as taking Rafa five sets at Roland Garros.  He’s a match-up nightmare.  Change from last week – Debuts in the top 10.

9.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – He needs a nice event in Miami to remain in the list.  2012 has not been as strong for Tsonga as his end to 2011 was.  Change from last week – 1.

10.  Milos Raonic – Two titles and one runner-up finish will keep him at #10.  He also acquitted himself well versus Roger Federer at Indian Wells.

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