Tag Archives: Tennis Power Ranking

Tennis Power Ranking 2013: Post Monte Carlo

22 Apr

Dan Martin’s 2013 Power Ranking #6

1.  Novak Djokovic – Nole ends a nearly 9 year winning streak by Nadal in Monte Carlo and in straight sets no less.  He’s #1.

2.  Rafael Nadal - Rafa has played 5 events in 2013.  His results: 3 titles and 2 runner-up finishes.

Did someone really knock over his water bottles?

3.  Andy Murray – A top tier player will drop anytime he wins only 3 games in a match.  Change since last ranking -1

4.  Tomas Berdych 

5.  Roger Federer - Roger has points to defend in Madrid.  

6.  David Ferrer - Barcelona, Madrid and Rome will tell us a lot about Ferrer.

7.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – He played Nadal tough on his least preferred surface. Change since last ranking +2

8.  Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo needs to make a splash at one of the slams before the end of 2013.  Change since last ranking -1

9.  Richard Gasquet – He is quietly putting together his best start to any season.  Change since last ranking -1

10.  Tommy Haas (Tie) -  The old man of the tour reached the semifinal round in Miami by pulling a huge upset or two.  

10.  Grigor Dimitrov (Tie) – Could we finally be seeing a younger player make a move? Change since last ranking – Not ranked

Biggest Mover – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga gained two spots.

Dropped Out – N/A

Entered the Rankings – Grigor Dimitrov

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Tennis Power Ranking 2013: Indian Wells

17 Mar

Dan Martin’s 2013 Power Ranking #4

1.  Novak Djokovic – Nole is number one, but he can hear footsteps behind him right now.

2.  Rafael Nadal - 3 consecutive tournament titles, including his first hard court title in over 2 years, have Rafa rising.  Change since last Ranking +1

3.  Andy Murray - This Indian Wells was better than his 2012 and 2011 outings.  Murray needs to push back against the idea of Nole and Rafa reprising their 2011 two man show.  Miami would be a good place for Murray to reassert himself since he trains there and since the pending clay court season is unlikely to help Murray.  Change since last ranking – 1

4.  Tomas Berdych - The Big Czech came up short versus Nadal, but his Indian Wells and Dubai showings have me thinking he is close to the top players.  He may not be able to bridge that gap, but he is trying to bridge it.  Change since last ranking + 2

5.  Roger Federer – Roger is my favorite player of all time.  He is 7 years past his prime of 2006 and is still ranked #2.  My eyes are not lying that 2013 has not been his best outing.  Skipping Miami and Monte Carlo makes me think Roger is saving his reserves for the biggest prizes in tennis.  Maybe the break will help as he has not seemed like himself in 2013.  Change since last ranking – 1

6.  Juan Martin del Potro - Had he won Indian Wells, JMDP would be #4 and Berdych #5.  Beating Murray and Djokovic back-to-back is a huge confidence builder.  Change since last ranking +3 

7.  David Ferrer – He has a Grand Slam semifinal and a 250 point title to his name in 2013.  Still, it seems like JMDP and Berdych have passed him.  Change since last ranking – 2

8.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Holding steady

9.  Richard Gasquet – With two titles under his belt in 2013, Gasquet is poised for a strong year.  Still, he lacks the heft of Berdych or the consistency of Ferrer.  Change since last ranking -2

10.  Milos Raonic - Milos beat then #10 Marin Cilic so he takes his spot.  Change since last ranking – unranked

Biggest Mover – Juan Martin del Potro +3

Dropped Out – Marin Cilic

Entered the Rankings – Milos Raonic

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Tennis 2013 Power Ranking: Dubai and Acapulco

3 Mar

Dan Martin’s 2013 Power Ranking #3

1.  Novak Djokovic – Nole is number one, and his strong showing in Dubai only underscores that point.

2.  Andy Murray - 2013 has brought Andy a Grand Slam runner-up finish and a 250 point title.  Still, it will be nice to see him in action again.

3.  Rafael Nadal - Rafa’s back-to-back titles coupled with Federer’s thus far shaky 2013 have him moving up the power ranking.   Change since last ranking +2

4.  Roger Federer – Roger does not seem like himself to this point in 2013.  Change since last ranking – 1

5.  David Ferrer – His loss to Rafa at Acapulco was like a continuation of his 2012 Roland Garros beating.  On the bright side, Ferrer reached two consecutive finals and won his first title of the year.  Change since last ranking – 1

6.  Tomas Berdych - A runner-up finish in Dubai has the Czech moving toward the top 5.  Change since last ranking +2

7.  Richard Gasquet – With two titles under his belt in 2013, Gasquet is poised for a strong year.  Still, he lacks the heft of Berdych or the consistency of Ferrer.  Change since last ranking -1 

8.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Holding steady

9.  Juan Martin del Potro – He won Rotterdam and reached the semis at Dubai.  Nole seems to be his nemesis. Change since last ranking – unranked  

10.  Marin Cilic - He has had a nice 2013.  Change since last ranking – unranked

Biggest Movers – Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych +2

Dropped Out – Jeremy Chardy and Horacio Zeballos

Entered the Rankings – Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic 

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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 Paris Power Ranking: David Ferrer’s Leap Forward

5 Nov

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Ranking

Post Paris Edition

  1. Novak Djokovic – Nole posted the best Grand Slam and Masters 1000 records for 2012.  He must feel like he let a slam get away in 2012, but he’s #1 for the year. 
  2. Andy Murray – Murray’s US Open win and Gold Medal change the landscape of tennis, but his 0-9 finish in the Masters 1000 events will have to change if he wishes to reach #1 in 2013.
  3. Roger Federer – The Fed entered the 2003 Masters Cup with 6 titles and a ponytail.  He enters the 2012 World Tour Finals with 6 titles and 2 pre-schoolers.  Changes and constants   
  4. David Ferrer – The “other” Spaniard leads the tour with 7 titles.  Ferrer has a title on all four surfaces in 2012.  Ferrer just won his first Masters 1000 event.  Does he deserve to pass Rafa?  Maybe not, but winning titles on every surface, winning 18 Grand Slam matches, and leading the tour in titles makes Ferrer a top flight player in 2012.   Change from last ranking +1
  5. Rafael Nadal – Rafa’s injury has left him on the shelf since the end of June.  His first 1/2 of 2012 was the best of any player.  Change from last ranking -1  
  6. Juan Martin del Potro – JMDP recently won his 14th and 15th career singles titles.  The big man won a Bronze medal and reached 3 Grand Slam quarterfinal rounds in 2012.  Beating Roger Federer in Basel says a lot about where JMDP is at.  Change from last ranking +3
  7. Tomas Berdych - His US Open showing props up some of his poor results in 2012.  Change from last ranking – 1
  8. Marin Cilic – The Croatian has slowly returned to his 2009 and early 2010 form.  Change from last ranking +1
  9. Richard Gasquet – His recent play earns the enigmatic star a slot in my top 10.  Change from last ranking – 1
  10. Jerzy Janowicz - He probably does not deserve this spot, but just think that this qualifier just banked 600 ranking points that will not come off until next November.  This is a huge relief for a guy scrapping by on tour.  Change from last ranking – not ranked

Biggest Movers – Juan Martin del Potro +3

Entered the Rankings – Jerzy Janowicz

Dropped Out – Tommy Haas

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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 August 13-19

13 Aug

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of August 13 through August 19

1.  Roger Federer – Federer has won 5 titles in 2012.  Cincinnati could lead to a new #1 in my rankings as well as in the ATP rankings.

2.  Novak Djokovic – Winning his 2nd consecutive Rogers Cup has Djokovic looking solid now that he is back on hard courts.  Cincinnati and the US Open loom as he has 2600 points to defend at these events.  Change from last week +1

3.  Andy Murray – Andy did not do anything wrong this week other than make an understandable exit from the Rogers Cup.  Still, Novak deserved to move up so someone had to move down.  A win in Cincy might propel Murray to #1 in my poll.  Change from last week -1

4.  Rafael Nadal – Withdrawing from the Olympic games and two Masters 1000 events has Rafa in a bit of a free fall.  A lot has changed since the French Open ended and Rafa was #1 in my power ranking.

5. Juan Martin del Potro - The bronze medalist lost an epic match to Roger Federer, but he rebounded to claim Argentina’s first medal of 2012.

6.  David Ferrer –Ferrer is co-leader on tour this year with 5 titles.  His Olympic games were not perfect, but grass is not his best surface. 

7.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Tsonga won an epic match with Milos Raonic.  His solid play in Paris and semifinal at Wimbledon has Tsonga solidly in my top 10.

8.  Marin Cilic – He’s been strong as of late despite a loss to a game Hewitt in London.

9. Richard Gasquet - I have been down on Gasquet at times.  He has seemed unpredictable.  The past few months have changed Gasquet’s reputation as he’s become much more steady.  His runner-up finish at the Rogers Cup came on the heels of an Olympic bronze medal in doubles.  Maybe things are looking up for the talented Gasquet.  Change since last week – Newcomer

10.  Janko Tipsarevic - Tipsy is hard not to like, and he has posted a number of nice results in 2012.  I’d like to see him make a solid showing in New York to verify his high ranking on the ATP computer.  Change since last week – Newcomer

Newcomers – Richard Gasquet and Janko Tipsarevic

Dropped Out – Juan Monaco and Milos Raonic

Biggest Mover – Novak Djokovic +1

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Post Olympic Power Ranking

9 Aug

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of August 6 through August 12

This is later than usual, but I had good reason for the delay.

1.  Roger Federer – Federer has won 5 titles in 2012 including Wimbledon, he just added a silver medal to his career haul, and just turned 31.  It is a little hard to remain #1 after the one-sided loss in the gold medal match, but Federer is still on top.

2.  Andy Murray – Winning a gold in singles and a silver in mixed doubles has to make Andy Murray a national hero.  Throw in straight set wins over the #1 and #2 men in the ATP rankings, Rafa’s injuries and Nole’s loss in the bronze medal match and Murray vaults 2 spots.  Change since last ranking +2

3.  Novak Djokovic – Something seems off for Nole.  Maybe a return to hard courts will sooth his ailing game.  Change since last ranking -1

4.  Rafael Nadal – Withdrawing from the Olympic games and two Masters 1000 events has Rafa in a bit of a free fall.  A lot has changed since the French Open ended and Rafa was #1 in my power ranking.  Change since last ranking – 1

5. Juan Martin del Potro - The bronze medalist lost an epic match to Roger Federer but rebounded to win in straight sets over Djokovic and claim Argentina’s first and probably only medal of 2012.  If JMDP stays healthy, he can beat anyone.    Change since last ranking +2

6.  David Ferrer –Ferrer is co-leader on tour this year with 5 titles.  His Olympic games were not perfect, but grass is not his best surface.  Change since last ranking -1 

7.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Tsonga won an epic match with Milos Raonic.  His solid play in Paris and semifinal at Wimbledon has Tsonga solidly in my top 10.  Also, Tsonga won a silver in doubles.  Doubles, outside of an Olympic medal, don’t count in my Power Rankings. Change since last ranking -1

8.  Marin Cilic – He’s been strong as of late despite a loss to a game Hewitt in London.

9.  Juan Monaco – Like Cilic, he’s having a strong year. 

10.  Milos Raonic - His match against Tsonga at the London Olympic Games has Raonic back into the ever volatile 10th slot.  Much like JMDP, I think losing a tight match of this nature should help Raonic regard himself as a player capable of big wins in the future.  Change since last ranking – Newcomer  

New Comer – Milos Raonic

Dropped Out – Andy Roddick

Biggest Movers – Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro +2

 

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Power Ranking for the Week of May 14 – May 20

13 May

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of May 14 through May 20

(a lot of changes from the last few weeks)

1.  Novak Djokovic – Novak is the number one player in the world, but the next few months will be interesting.

2. Roger Federer – Titles in Dubai, Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Madrid have Roger Federer surging in the computer rankings an in my 2012 Power Ranking.  Change from last week +1

3.  Rafael Nadal – Rafa seems very negative in his demeanor and verbiage this season.  I think he can harness anger in the short term to some success, but it does not seem like a formula for long-term success.  Change from last week – 1

4. Juan Martin del Potro – Winning Estoril and making a solid run in Madrid have JMDP moving ahead of Andy Murray in my eyes.  Change from last week + 1

5.  Andy Murray -  Missing Madrid assured a drop.  Change from last week – 1

6. Tomas Berdych – Big Berd crushed Monfils and Verdasco  He then beat JMDP in a cole match before losing a tight final to Federer.  Both Berdych and JMDP have to be considered second tier title contenders in Paris.  Change from last week +2
7.  David Ferrer – Rome offers one more chance to topple the guys ahead of him before Paris.  Change from last week – 1
8.  Nicolas Almagro – He is still not quite a second tier contender on the dirt.  Change from last week – 1

9. Gilles Simon - Solid enough to be #9 on the countdown.

10.  Janko Tipsarevic – Tipsy upset Nole and reached the Madrid semifinal round.  That is enough to enter the top 10.  Change from last week – Not Ranked

Dropped Out – Milos Raonic

Mover of the Week – Tomas Berdych +2

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Power Ranking for the Week of May 7 – May 13

7 May

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of May 7 through May 13

1.  Novak Djokovic – Novak is the number one player in the world, but he will face challenges to remain number one in 2012.

2. Rafael Nadal – He is the greatest ever on clay.  Can he master blue clay in an elevated location?

3.  Roger Federer – Fed’s 2012 titles in Dubai, Rotterdam and Indian Wells have him ranked number three.

4.  Andy Murray -  Missing Madrid almost assures a drop next week.

5. Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo wins Estoril and enters my top five.  Change since last week +1

6.  David Ferrer – Can he win on the azul?  Change since last week – 1

7.  Nicolas Almagro – Could emerge from some shadows with a Madrid win or a strong showing at least.

8.  Tomas Berdych – Berdych is still in my top eight.

9. Gilles Simon - A solid week in Monte Carlo followed by a title has Simon rising. 

10.  Milos Raonic – The big kid has won two titles in 2012, been runner-up at another and just logged two strong wins on clay before losing a close match to David Ferrer.

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