Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of April 22 through April 28*

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 – An eighth consecutive title  at Monte Carlo and a one-sided win over the world number one have Nadal back to number two in my 2012 power rankings.  Change from last week +1

3.  Roger Federer – Fed’s 2012 titles in Dubai, Rotterdam and Indian Wells have him ranked number three.  Change from last week – 1

4.  Andy Murray –  A quarterfinal showing in Monte Carlo is not a bad thing, but Andy is clearly the fourth man in the big four.

5.  David Ferrer – Ferrer has had a strong 2012.

6. Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo has played well prior to the clay court swing, but I think some of his comeback momentum might slow on the soft courts of Europe.

7.  Nicolas Almagro – Almagro needs to capitalize on his solid play in the coming weeks.

8.  Tomas Berdych – A semifinal showing at Monte Carlo that included a win over Andy Murray and pushing Djokovic to three sets has Berdych climbing.  Change from last week +2

9. Juan Monaco – Health is a big part of sports.  I hope Monaco gets healthy so that we can see his Miami and Houston form again soon.  Change from last week – 1

10.  John Isner – Much like Roger Federer, skipping Monte Carlo contributed to his drop.  Change from last week – 1

Gilles Simon is knocking on the door, but given that he has lost twice to Isner in 2012, I cannot rank him ahead of Isner just yet.

* – Given my proximity to Cincinnati, I would love to see my non-binding rankings be the basis for the first 10 seeds at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 event.  One can dream …