Murray Wins London, Ends Year at #1

Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in the year-end final in London and secured the year-end number one ranking.  In this era of advanced equipment and player fitness and training, the style of play that I call “aggressive baselining” has been employed by an increasing number of players.  Murray, Djokovic and Nadal all play this style, which consists of consistent, hard hitting from the baseline, tremendous court coverage, and the use of passing shots that were impossible to make earlier in the open era in order to win points from players who dare to approach the net.  Aggressive baseline shots are not just rally balls, they are penetrating, heavy shots that force short balls from the opponent.  Once a short ball is hit, the aggressive baseliner pounces, hitting either outright winners or using the forehand to pin the opponent back and eventually bludgeon him to death.  This style of play is made possible by modern racquet materials and strings, which give a livelier shot with more spin, but it cannot be practiced effectively unless the player is fit and quick enough to cover a lot of court and maintain his stamina through long points. 

In the London final both Murray and Djokovic both used this style, but Murray was simply better at it.  Djokovic was uncharacteristically inconsistent from the baseline, as has been the case for several months.  He even missed a couple of sitters that any club player could have made.  So Murray, who lately has hit is ground strokes with newfound power and great consistency, and who has used his serve to win free points more frequently than in the past, prevailed in straight sets. 

As we look to next year, the following issues bear watching:

1) Will Djokovic, who has played his best early in the season over the past few years, recover his dominating level of play?

2) Federer will return.  How will he play?

3) Nadal did not make the quarters of a major this year.  What will he do in 2017?

4) Will any of the younger players break through and win a slam?  Top candidates are Raonic and Dominic Thiem.

5) Will Nick Kyrgios and Bernie Tomic learn to behave themselves, and if so, allow their talents to propel them to greater success?

6) Will Isner remain the top ranked American, or will he be supplanted by either Jack Sock or Steve Johnson?  Will of the very young Americans (e.g. Talyor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe) begin to have an impact?

Can’t wait to find out!

Murray Wins in Paris

Andy Murray won the Paris Master, beating John Isner in three sets.  The victory was expected for the new world number one.  However, Isner’s performance had some interesting features to it.  First, he beat Jack sock on the way to the final and resumed his position as the highest ranked American man.  He also was able to crack the top 20, sparing American tennis fans the ignominy of having no male players in the top 20.  In several of his matches here, including the final, Isner came to the net quite often, and displayed a deft touch on short-hopped balls as well as some good volleying.  Given the limitations to his baseline game imposed upon him by his huge body, and, given his terrific serve, the serve-and-volley approach looks like a good one for him.  Another factory that favors this tactic is Isner’s age.  He is now 31 years old, and not quite as well suited as he once was to protracted baseline rallies.  A very good year end performance for John.

London is next up and should be quite interesting.

Murray becomes number one

Andy Murray ascended to the number one ranking in men’s tennis today when he defeated Milos Raonic in a walkover at the Paris masters.   Raonic tore a muscle in the previous round and could not compete.  Murray was also helped by Novak Djokovic, who lost to Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals after having defeated Cilic in 14 straight previous matches. 

Why did Djokovic lose to Cilic?  Well, he simply missed more balls than usual, a result of visible lapses in concentration.  Novak’s mood was also quite a bit low key for someone trying to hold onto the number one ranking – he almost seemed relieved to lose as he warmly congratulated Cilic.  Rumors abound that Djokovic is distracted by issues with his personal life that involve infidelity on his part.  I could not find an absolute confirmation of this hypothesis, but clearly, something is bothering him.

Murray’s play has been better than ever over the past several months.  He’s been amazing since Wimbledon, with his typically phenomenal court coverage buttressed by more power on the forehand and perceptive tactical decision-making.  He really has been the best player in the world for quite some time; it simply took awhile for him to close the huge ranking points gap between Djokovic and the rest of the field.   So gratz to Murray for a well deserved achievement.

Djokovic has always been a bit emotionally labile on the court.  We will have to see where he goes from here.