Who are the Top 5 players so far this year?

L

LanceStern

Professional
Yes we still have the rankings which gives us "The big four" and whatnot, but rankings don't tell the whole story. In your opinion from what we've seen of 2009 so far, who are the Top 5 players this year?

1. Nadal - Consistently dominant. Out of the 5 tournaments he's been in this year, he's been in 4 finals and won three of those finals. Cruel playstyle, hangs in on every point and wears the opponent down mentally and physically. Hits hard, makes few errors, so very fast. #1 definitely.

2. Murray - Knows how to beat each of the Top 3 and has done it consistently for the past 7 months. He's the #2 this year. Has the game to beat Nadal as well and could be #1 this year. He is very consistent, huge serve and versatile game. Gets to so many balls and stays in the point. Intimidating opponent for anyone not named Djokovic. I think he is a little sick which is hindering him from completely dominating.

3. Federer - Very close to Murray in terms of #2 player this year, but has a mental block against Nadal and Murray. Has some inconsistency problems in best of 3 setters and is not moving horizontally very good haha. His game even at B levels (compared to 2007) is too good for everyone else on tour except maybe Djokovic as well. We'll see tonight. Still super consistent, has been to the Semis or better for every tournament he's been in this year (3 semis, 1 final out of 4 tournies).

4. Roddick - Consistently good. Has the most wins on tour. Until yesterday, he was in the semis or better out of the 5 tournaments he was in. Serve is ridiculous, movement is outstanding and his game is coming to something whole. He gives 110% it seems in every match he's been in and is probably fittest on tour I think. Has used his game to beat all his opponents this year on tour except the 3 men above him, who's game is just a little too much for him. He needs a little more in his gears because his matches are close.

5. Still thinking. Don't know if it's Djokovic or Verdasco.
 
thejoe

thejoe

Hall of Fame
^How can you say he has been better than the top 4?

It isn't disrespectful, it is true.
 
1

1hbhBUX

Semi-Pro
So far this year, clearly Nadal, Murray and Federer are the top 3. I agree that Roddick & Djokovic are the next two.
 
gj011

gj011

Banned
colonelforbin said:
He's talking about results of the past 3 months, Djokovic is top 4 based on his results in the past 12 months.
Click to expand...

In the past three months Djokovic won Dubai and just before that he won TMC. What other players, except Nadal of course who is way ahead of others, did in that period that is better that this? Federer has no titles, Murray has Rotterdam and Doha (both smaller tournaments than Dubai) and even earlier exit at AO, Roddick has Memphis, not to mention a joke that even Verdasco and Tsonga are ahead of Djokovic in minds of some...

So clear disrespect for Djokovic yet again.

And also making a ranking based on couple of months only makes no sense. That is why ATP got rid of race points. Lets start making ranking lists after every tournament based on results on that last tournament only :roll:
 
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M

miyagi

Professional
Nadal by far!! he has been to 3 finals and won the two most important.

Federer - He at least got to AO final (slams matter most)

Murray - plays well but didnt go far enough at AO

Djoko - Won Dubai playing well now but worried about his fitness
 
shadows

shadows

Legend
1) Nadal (no need for comment)

2) Murray (see Fed.)

3)Federer (very close with Murray, whoever has the better result in Miami I'd say has had the best start to the year. Murrays results are better in general but Fed outperformed him by a way at the AO and that was pretty big)

4) Roddick (23-4 for the year, won memphis, finals doha, semi's AO and IW. Could make a case for him being higher really but he's not beating the guys above him)

5) Verdasco (sneaks in on the strength of his AO performance, backed up with some solid performances recently)

honourable mentions:

Djokovic, Del Potro, Tsonga.
 
R

roddickrulz

Banned
jimwh said:
1.) Nadal
2.) Murray
3.) Djokovic
4.) Federer
5.) Roddick, but barely over Verdasco.
Click to expand...

how the hell can u put djoker above arod - 1st of all rod has beaten him twice this year, secondly - look at his win-loss record, 3rdly, roddick made the semis of AO..roddick is better than djokovic ATM. PERIOD
 
bluescreen

bluescreen

Hall of Fame
1. nadal
2. federer
3. murray
4. roddick
5. verdasco

i'd put murray at 2, but i think his early exit at the australian open withholds him from that spot. and even though he has a title this year and federer doesnt, he's also played more tournaments. but as shadows mentioned, im gonna wait until after miami to cement those two spots.
 
W

wilsondude

Banned
bluescreen said:
1. nadal
2. federer
3. murray
4. roddick
5. verdasco

i'd put murray at 2, but i think his early exit at the australian open withholds him from that spot. and even though he has a title this year and federer doesnt, he's also played more tournaments. but as shadows mentioned, im gonna wait until after miami to cement those two spots.
Click to expand...

this is acurate. id like to put verdasco ahead of roddick, verdasco looks like hes playing better but andys results are slightly better.
 
tacou

tacou

G.O.A.T.
nadal, murray, fed, roddick, djoko/tsonga/verdasco.

swap murray to fourth if you place greater important on slams (there's only been one this year so I don't think it's fair to put too much emphasis on it)
 
J

Joseph L. Barrow

Professional
So far this season, I'd say it's been:

1. Nadal

2. Federer
3. Murray
4. Roddick
5. Djokovic

Murray and Federer could be seen as interchangeable, since they're very close in the ATP Race, and Murray has beaten Federer twice in addition to winning two titles to Federer's none, but Federer's Australian Open final as compared to only a fourth round for Murray tips it in his favor, in my opnion. Roddick actually has more points than Federer and Murray through the season to date, but that's primarily because he's just played a tournament or two more than they have. Their wins over him solidify their higher placing. Djokovic hasn't been on par with those four so far this season, losing twice to Roddick and once to Nadal, but he's nevertheless made the quarters or better of all three major tournaments and won a title in Dubai.
 
vtmike

vtmike

Banned
^^^^
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Viktor Troicki
3. Janko Tipsarević
4. Ilija Bozoljac
5. Boris Pašanski
 
FD3S

FD3S

Hall of Fame
Most of the orders I've seen look reasonable. No disrespect intended to Djokovic, but his 2009 hasn't been as good as Nadal's, Murray's, Fed's, or Roddick's. I personally hope he steps it up, b/c he's capable of doing so.
 
T1000

T1000

Legend
nadal
federer
murray
roddick
verdasco
rest of the atp
the whole wta
serniors tour
juniors
club players
fans who dont play
rest of the world
novak djokovic
 
shadows

shadows

Legend
Purely win/loss for the year (pre-miami) on players in the top 20 with more than 10 wins.

sorted by win/loss ratio

21 - 2 Rafa :: 10.5 wins to a loss
20 - 2 Murray :: 10 wins to a loss
23 - 4 Roddick :: 5.7 wins to a loss
17 - 3 Cilic :: 5.6 wins to a loss
22 - 4 Tsonga :: 5.5 wins to a loss
13 - 3 Fed :: 4.3 wins to a loss
20 - 5 Robredo :: 4 wins to a loss
12 - 3 Verdasco :: 4 wins to a loss
15 - 4 Del Potro :: 3.75 wins to a loss
17 - 5 Stepanek :: 3.4 wins to a loss
10 - 4 Almagro :: 2.5 wins to a loss
10 - 4 Nalbandian :: 2.5 wins to a loss
15 - 6 Ferrer ::2.5 wins to a loss
17 - 7 Novak :: 2.4 wins to a loss
13 - 6 Monfils :: 2.1 wins to a loss
12 - 8 Simon :: 1.5 wins to a loss
 
batz

batz

G.O.A.T.
T1000 said:
nadal
federer
murray
roddick
verdasco
rest of the atp
the whole wta
serniors tour
juniors
club players
fans who dont play
rest of the world
novak djokovic
Click to expand...

I'm not a Novak hater, but that is quite funny.:):twisted:
 
shadows

shadows

Legend
I'm entirely aware of it not being a stat to take your top 5 from, otherwise I'd have just posted the top 5 as my list now wouldn't I.

Nevertheless, it's partly relevant because it provides a comparison of how everyones been doing, it also makes for some interesting reading, particularly Cilic's position on there.
 
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J

Joseph L. Barrow

Professional
batz said:
In what way is it irrelevant? It's just another view of the same data. Whilst the ATP have decided that rankings should be calculated over a 12 month period, there is no definitive, mathematical proof that shows rankings are only valid if calculated over a 12 months.

Also, I'm not sure that you are correct in your assertion about the reasons for the Race's demise - I've seen no reports stating this.
Click to expand...
The Race isn't gone- not really. It's just been tucked away out of public view on the ATP website, because people confused it with the official rankings. Having frequently surfed around on the site when in leisurely moods, I can say the Race does still exist, and they even had the players' Race positions listed on their profiles alongside their rankings at one point very recently, though it appears they've taken that mark off again.
 
JeMar

JeMar

Legend
gj011 said:
He is in top 5 even if you count points from this year only (a practice that ATP abandoned), go and check if you don't believe it. So yet again, it is disrespectful and false.
Click to expand...

Is there some place where these points can be checked easily? I really doubt that Djokovic is in ahead of Roddick if we go by results just from this year. No disrespect intended, I'd just like to check myself.
 
deltox

deltox

Hall of Fame
JeMar said:
Is there some place where these points can be checked easily? I really doubt that Djokovic is in ahead of Roddick if we go by results just from this year. No disrespect intended, I'd just like to check myself.
Click to expand...

click the 2 links above and use a calculator
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
JeMar said:
Is there some place where these points can be checked easily? I really doubt that Djokovic is in ahead of Roddick if we go by results just from this year. No disrespect intended, I'd just like to check myself.
Click to expand...

My post did just that, and the links had the neat little list :D
 
egn

egn

Hall of Fame
Nadal
Fed
Roddick
Murray
Djoker

Note Verdasco Rant:
I don't get how people are putting Verdasco in the top 5? Even if it is for the year it still makes no sense he goes ahead of Djokovic, Federer, He has made a small final this year to lose to Radek Stepanak. He played on really intense match at the AO SF in which he double faulted on match point, and now is slowly degressing. Since that he has not gone past a quarters and other than that slight threat he posed against Fed in a second set tiebreak he really has not been much of a threat to the top players. For point of reference see Andy Murray dismantling him. His year has been highlighted by an Australian Open Semi Final where he took Rafael Nadal to 5 sets. If he had lost in straights nobody would be talking about him as much..everyone as of lately is clearly overrating him. Verdasco is like Gonzo, Ferrer, Blake, Gasquet (ATM.) and Ljubcic. He is a very good player, will be low top 10 might peak around 5 for a while and will make a deep run once every blue moon to keep his ranking up, but overall like the rest he will flame out quickly and go back to the top 20-30.

Defense of Djokovic's year
I am not calling Djokovic number 1..I put him 5. He did not defend his AO, he got bounced in QF by Roddick and then got bounced again by Roddick at IW. He won Doha when the other top players were out of the tournament. Djokovic is playing better right now than everyone on the tour except those four guys in my opinion..yet we will see. Lets see if he beats Fed.
 
Blinkism

Blinkism

Legend
1. Nadal
Can anyone argue against that? He's got the best results so far? 1 Grand Slam Title, 1 Master's Series Title, 1 500 series final, and 2 quarterfinals. Add to that a good showing at the Davis Cup, and he's the top player so far this year.

2. Andy Murray
Well, he's got 2 titles so far this year and been in the finals of a masters. A quarter-final appearance at the AO, added with atleast a semi-final appearance in Miami, and he's got the second best season after Nadal. This pick for me was tough to make, but I stick by it. However, once the clay season starts I wouldn't place Murray in the top 3.

3. Federer
Well he's the AO finalist, and has made 2 master's series Semi-finals. However, his season is off to a mediocre start. He can change this by winning in Miami. In that case he is automatically the #2 player of the season after Nadal.

4. Djokovic
He's pretty close to Fed at this point. I don't know why people count him out, he's got the results to prove he's a solid #4. I guess it's because he raised expectations after an amazing beginning to 2008. Well, he's got a title and he made the quarter's in Australia. He's in the semi's in Miami and if he beats Federer, he'll be truly deserving the of #3 ranking in my book.

5. Roddick
As much as I don't like him he's got the results so far to put him in this spot and beating Djokovic twice when it really mattered shows he is on the periphery of the top 4. However, his #5 position is going to be challenged and very soon as the clay season starts. Most likely someone like Del Potro, Verdasco, Simon, or Monfils will take this #5 spot after the clay season.

Notable Mention: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Tommy Robredo, David Ferrer, and Radek Stepanek for their solid results at the AO and the two Master's, but especially for the rest of the season so far.

Unless Del Potro wins Miami I don't think this list is going to change drastically until the clay season starts.
 
Patrick_St

Patrick_St

Rookie
I agree with Blinkism, except I would flop Djokovic and Roddick simply because of how Roddick has beaten Djokovic twice thus far in 2009. I also don't like Roddick, but he is indeed having a good year. Pretty much everything Blinkism said about the top three: Nadal, Murray, and Federer is spot on in my opinion.
 
Patrick_St

Patrick_St

Rookie
Another important thing to note that in my mind puts Roddick ahead of Djokovic is that he has a much better overall record so far this year at 23-4, in comparison to 17-7 by Djokovic. Roddick is also undefeated in doubles play this year and has one doubles title. Of the top 5 he has also played much more tennis so far this year than any of the other 4. If it wasn't for Fed's dismantling of Roddick in the AO and then Fed going on to the finals I would place Roddick in third place ahead of Federer. Federer has played significantly less tennis than the rest of the top four, and even though he doesn't have a title yet this year he has consistantly good results. By the way, I am definitely not a Roddick fan, so please don't pull the fanboy card out. I actually rather dislike him.

There is really no debating Nadal as one and Murray as two though as they are the only two players so far to have only lost two times in 2009.
 
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J

joeri888

G.O.A.T.
How can you put Murray ahead of Federer? Federer's lost to him twice, but outperformed him by a mile at the AO, which is wwhat it was all about. He didn't only have a better draw but just PLAYED very well.. beside that he has ONLY lost to Nadal and Murray this year, whereas Murray and Nadalhave lost to people like Monfils, Verdasco and Del Potro etc. Beside that Federer has attained more points as well this year if I'm correct.
 
batz

batz

G.O.A.T.
joeri888 said:
How can you put Murray ahead of Federer? Federer's lost to him twice, but outperformed him by a mile at the AO, which is wwhat it was all about. He didn't only have a better draw but just PLAYED very well.. beside that he has ONLY lost to Nadal and Murray this year, whereas Murray and Nadalhave lost to people like Monfils, Verdasco and Del Potro etc. Beside that Federer has attained more points as well this year if I'm correct.
Click to expand...

Murray has won two titles, made a final of one MS and the semis of another - Roger has won nothing. Murray has beaten Nadal, Roger hasn't. Murray has won more matches than Roger. Murray has lost fewer matches than Roger. Murray has beaten Roger twice.

The only area where Roger has outperformed Murray is at the AO. If you think that outweighs everything else I've just listed then fair enough.
 
L

LanceStern

Professional
joeri888 said:
How can you put Murray ahead of Federer? Federer's lost to him twice, but outperformed him by a mile at the AO, which is wwhat it was all about. He didn't only have a better draw but just PLAYED very well.. beside that he has ONLY lost to Nadal and Murray this year, whereas Murray and Nadalhave lost to people like Monfils, Verdasco and Del Potro etc. Beside that Federer has attained more points as well this year if I'm correct.
Click to expand...

Murray has beaten him twice (3 times if you count exhibition), has won 2 titles to Federer's none, and has beaten Nadal (twice if you count the exhibition). He has shown more consistency than Fed in his game too.

I really can't stand the argument that a run in a Grand Slam is that much better than those feats. If that was the case, Verdasco would be higher than everyone but Fed and Nadal because he made a run to the AO semis and had match point.

It's not worth that much in terms of how good a player is.
 
Blinkism

Blinkism

Legend
Blinkism said:
4. Djokovic
He's pretty close to Fed at this point. I don't know why people count him out, he's got the results to prove he's a solid #4. I guess it's because he raised expectations after an amazing beginning to 2008. Well, he's got a title and he made the quarter's in Australia. He's in the semi's in Miami and if he beats Federer, he'll be truly deserving the of #3 ranking in my book.
Click to expand...

It's probably a tie now. If Djokovic wins the title in Miami, he'll be the definitive #3. Federer's had too poor of a season to be #3 after Nadal and Murray. Djokovic hasn't proved himself just yet to be better than Federer this year, but if he doesn't win the Miami title he can still get ahead of Federer by going deep in Monte Carlo (Finalist or even Champion).

The Top 4 is hard to set in stone ATM, except for Nadal.
 
R

reytol

New User
I would say:

1. Nadal

2. Murray
3. Djokovic
4. Federer
5. Roddick

2,3 and 4 can interchange after Miami results.
 
D

devila

Banned
Roddick choked 3rd set break points, and let the net cord ball drop hurt his match against Federer.
It's like the Tsonga match he threw away, without challenging a glaring bad call in Paris (biased with scummy, jeering fans helping Tsonga).
 
Patrick_St

Patrick_St

Rookie
How can you put Djokovic, who is 18-7 so far this year over Roddick who is like 24-4 or something as well as undefeated in doubles? Especially when Roddick has beaten Djokovic twice? Djokovic has not had a good year so far, and he barely makes it in at five in my opinion.
 
Patrick_St

Patrick_St

Rookie
gj011 said:
Djokovic is still underrated and not respected by many, despite convincingly beating Federer today.

I read these lists now and laugh. Delpo, Tsonga, Verdasco, Roddick are ranked above Djokovic by many. LOL.
Click to expand...

If you look at the year that Djokovic has had thus far it really isn't very good. Stop being bias. Other than winning in Dubai and beating a horrible looking Federer in Miami he has not had a great year so far. I personally detest Roddick, but it is very obvious he has had a better year than Djokovic. Just look at the numbers and you can see for yourself. Don't forget he has beaten Djokovic twice already this year so...

I wouldn't put anyone else other than those four: Nadal, Murray, Federer, and Roddick ahead of Djokovic though. I would say Djokovic is in solid at five. I would advise you to not let your bias blind you and to look at things open-mindedly as much as possible.
 
seffina

seffina

G.O.A.T.
I say the race points tell an accurate story:

1. Nadal 3525
2. Murray 2240
3. Federer 2010
4. Roddick 2000
5. Djokovic 1840

If Djokovic wins he'll gain 400 points and Murray and him will be tied for second place so far this year. If Murray wins, he'll be pretty close to Nadal.
 
Blinkism

Blinkism

Legend
This clay season will be good for Djoko's standing. Roddick and Murray can't top Djokovic's clay prowess. And if Fed keep producing mediocre results, Djoko can grab onto a very solid #3 spot (in people's minds, not rankings, ofcourse) going into the grass season.
 
seffina

seffina

G.O.A.T.
Blinkism said:
This clay season will be good for Djoko's standing. Roddick and Murray can't top Djokovic's clay prowess. And if Fed keep producing mediocre results, Djoko can grab onto a very solid #3 spot (in people's minds, not rankings, ofcourse) going into the grass season.
Click to expand...

Except Djokovic has a heck of a lot of points to defend during the clay season. We have no idea how good Murray will be on clay. I think he's at least up to his rankings good just because of his all around game.

BTW, Dubai and Rotterdam are both ATP 500 tournys and equally important.
 
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