A Ramble......
I'm somewhat disappointed looking at the list of hopefuls for WTF. Last year I thought the field was really strong - on paper. Nadal and Djokovic were somewhat out of it but the competition was really strong. Verdasco was the weakest player in the tournament looking at their statures, but he competed well I think.
This year, we're missing out on Davydenko and Del Potro - who happened to play the final last year. That is a big blow because they are two solid top 10 players who can beat anyone on their day. And that for me determines the excitement factor heading into London - are the participants capable of rising to the occasion? Ideally, the top eight tennis players in the world should be able to do just that. But looking at the possible candidates, I don't get the feeling that they will be.
For instance, as good a player as Melzer is, you don't expect him to get back to back wins over Federer and Djokovic. But he might be there - and deservedly so. This year he has beaten both Nadal and Djokovic - the latter at a Slam no less. So obviously this guy can play great tennis. But he can also lose to Juan Monaco on a hard court the day after he beats Nadal.
Then there's Berdych. He's better than all the prospects out there. And certainly when he's feeling confident, he is capable of beating the top players. And he did prove that he had matured into a serious contender when he beat Murray, Federer and Djokovic at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. But since then he's had a string of bad results and his confidence is likely to be pretty low. But if he can get back that spark that he had in Spring, he would be fun to watch. I for one hope he can get it back by Paris - an event he won five years ago.
Roddick -- Really hope he can make it. No one wants to face Roddick on a hard court when he's playing well - save Federer but that's a different story. The guy knows how to win - beautiful or ugly.
Soderling - He's proved he can hang with anyone, especially indoors.
Ideally I'd have preferred the Big Four plus Davydenko, Del Potro, Soderling and Roddick/Berdych. I don't think any of the other players are that strong. Someone like Ferrer or Melzer will end up being a punching bag for the rest of them. In fact, Ferrer will probably eke out a boring win. He's a great player but hardly fun to watch. That's why I'd prefer Verdasco or even Melzer to him.
I hope the groups turn out to be:
1) Nadal, Murray, Soderling, Roddick
2) Federer, Djokovic, Berdych, Verdasco
Nadal has lost all his recent hard court encounters with the three listed in my ideal group so it would be fun to watch him handle these players. I'd guess him and Murray would qualify.
Other exciting match ups: Murray and Roddick - have they played since last Wimbledon?
Federer would need to be really sharp to handle both Berdych (assuming he regains his confidence) and Djokovic. Verdasco shouldn't be a big problem.
Other exciting match ups - Djokovic vs. Berdych ---- they haven't played since Wimbledon and their stories have turned around quick since then. Would be interesting to see.
