Although this semifinal was scheduled for Saturday night, it’s conclusion came after one in the morning Sunday. Following a couple of shower intermissions, top seed Gael Monfils edged local favorite John Isner 6-4,3-6,7-6 to reach his initial final at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Four years ago, Isner surprisingly advanced to the final in Washington. Along the way, in their first encounter, Isner prevailed over Monfils, a top 50 player, in a thrilling semifinal third set tiebreaker.

Tonight, subsequent to Isner carrying the opening game, Monfils’ turn was halted by rain. Ultimately when play resumed, the points went along quickly.

After Monfils erased a break point to hold, Isner’s did the same with a 135 mph serve. Despite further difficulties, Isner maintained serve for 3-2.

Later though, when Isner misfired on a forehand, Monfils had his second break point of the ninth game. The Frenchman converted courtesy of an errant forehand by Isner to ascend 5-4. Soon, with a strong service game, Monfils closed out the first set.

Isner and Monfils had tussled five times prior, with each meeting decided by a third set. Apparently, Monfils did not feel like deviating from the script.

By hitting a forehand wide, Monfils handed Isner double break point. The Frenchman compounded that mistake with a ill advised dropshot to gift the break. Promptly with a love game, Isner consolidated for a 3-0 lead.

In the fifth game, a dreadful incident occurred whereby one of Isner’s serving bullets struck a spectator in the eye. After the injured person was attended to and a horrified Isner gathered himself, play resumed.

With Isner leading 5-2, another rain stoppage came. With Monfils incapable of a break point, Isner captured the second set.

At 3-2 in the decisive set, Monfils forced Isner into a forehand mistake for break point. By taking out his big gun, Isner salvaged the game to level the set at 3 all.

The next time Isner served, Monfils was again at 0-30. Yet, he could not fabricate a break point. However, ahead 5-4, Monfils arrived at his first match point when Isner committed a forehand error.

But with a crisp volley, Isner got to deuce. A second match point by Monfils was dismissed with a second serve ace. Not certain of the umpire’s call, Monfils challenged. With the review system malfunctioning, the call stood. Monfils shrugged it off; the two even exchanged a knuckle high five.

Eventually, the tiebreaker settled the winner. As each competitor guarded serve, Isner thumped an ace to get to his first match point. Monfils replicated to square the breaker at 6 a piece.

Then, with a courageous lob winner, Monfils secured his third match point. When Isner dumped his forehand into the net. Monfils booked a place in the final of a U.S. tournament for the first time.

It’s conspicuous that these two share a mutual respect as they embraced at the net. Monfils said as much after the match “I have great respect for John. I like his mentality and it’s always a pleasure for me to play him”.

Monfils expressed that he was relieved to finish the match. During the breaks, he had his coach to distract him and did not get too anxious.

With the momentum after the first set, Monfils lost his way early on in the second. MiamiTennisNews.com asked him to evaluate that part of the match “he played two solid points and I played two fancy shots”.

Monfils admitted that his judgment was flawed “instead of the dropshot, I could have hit another forehand . . . because from the baseline I’m a bit stronger than him. I did not play with my weapon. Once you lose serve against John, you know it’s three sets”.

Although it’s less than twenty-four hours before the final, Monfils stated that fatigue will not be a factor. The shear adrenaline from being in his first final of the season will squelch any physical or mental tiredness.

Isner was attempting to reach his third consecutive final after bagging the title in Newport and runner up status in Atlanta. Isner was also glad to resolve the semifinal tonight. Now, he can move on to his next stop, the Rogers Cup.

In tomorrow’s final, Monfils will collide with Radek Stepanek. They last clashed in Hamburg a few weeks ago with Monfils victorious.

Monfils is at a career high ranking of seven while Stepanek is world number 54. Although Monfils has been a finalist the last two years at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris, his three ATP titles have been at the 250 level.

Both men have a losing mark in finals with Monfils at 3-10 and Stepanek 4-7. However, Monfils has a 5-2 record over his opponent. For both men it will be their maiden ATP 500 trophy.

The U.S. summer hardcourt series got under way this week with the Atlanta Tennis Championships. In a replay of last year‘s final, Mardy Fish and John Isner collided in the ultimate match. The result was similar as Fish vanquished Isner 3-6,7-6,6-2 to defend his trophy.

With the title in Newport a few weeks ago, Isner was trying to win back to back title for the initial time in his career while Fish was in his maiden final of the season.

As a result of a double fault, Isner faced double break point to open the match. However, by finding his serve, Isner held. Later on, when Fish’s forehand sailed long on break point, Isner took a 3-1 lead. This was the difference in the first set, as Isner went on to guard serve and carry it 6-3.

With a forehand miscue by Fish on break point, Isner capitalized and secured the initial game of the second set. Soon though, with a backhand down the line winner, Fish manufactured double break point. When Isner double faulted, the players were back on serve.

Since neither contender could fabricate another break point, the second set went to a tiebreaker. Subsequent to getting the initial point, Isner got on a roll and built a 5-1 advantage. Then, with a powerful forehand, Isner forced Fish into a mistake to obtain double championship point at 6-4.

Yet, by pushing his backhand long and with Fish thumping an ace, Isner watched two chances combust. Promptly, with a superb backhand crosscourt volley winner, Fish had set point. Next, as Isner hit a forehand wide, Fish captured the second set.

At the start of the previous set, Isner seemed to be suffering from the heat. On the other hand, Fish looked like he had hardly warmed up after tiebreaker. Consequently, Isner would need to draw on all his reserves to pull off a victory.

With Isner double faulting, Fish arrived at double break point. When Isner’s backhand dropshot missed its mark, Fish banked the opening game of the decider.

After Fish consolidated with a love game, Isner easily guarded serve to stay one game behind. With Fish serving at 3-2, Isner struck a nice backhand down the line winner for double break point.

Still in the longest rally of the afternoon, fatigue bested Isner causing him to send a forehand long. Ultimately, Fish maintained serve and extended his lead.

When Isner double faulted on break point, Fish had a 5-2 edge. After quickly reaching triple match point, Fish crushed a forehand crosscourt winner to claim the championship.

Fish stated that he was “lucky” to come away with the win because “nine out of ten times when John is up a set and a break, he will close it out”. Furthermore, Fish expressed he cannot remember Isner ever surrendering a tiebreaker after a 5-1 advantage.

Fish admitted that fitness was in part a factor “I felt great. . . I pride myself on my fitness now”.

This upcoming week, Fish will be the top seed at the Farmers’ Classic. Juan Martin Del Potro, the 2008 champion, will make his summer hardcourt debut as the second seed at the same event.

For the first time at the All England Club, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the top two seeds. Defending champion Nadal will fight to collect his third hardware at this venue and his third French Open-Wimbledon combo. Djokovic who registered his maiden loss of the year at the previous major after a forty-one match unbeaten run will attempt to reach his first final at SW 19.

Two other competitors are also hoping to make history. Third seed Roger Federer tries to equalize Pete Sampras’ all time record of seven titles while fourth seed Andy Murray carries the aspirations of an isle on his shoulders. This fortnight, Murray aims to terminate his nation’s 75 year drought at its home major. Here’s the breakdown of the 2011 Wimbledon draw.

For world number one Nadal, it should be smooth sailing until the third round. In that session, the defending champion could be bothered by phenom Milos Raonic. Again in the round of 16, Nadal will be on crash alert with Juan Martin Del Potro his likely opponent. Consequently, there are various rocks along the road early on for the top seed.

In the quarterfinals, Nadal could face a rematch of last year’s final with Tomas Berdych. Considering Berdych’s average performance this season, the Spaniard should have the advantage. However, a semifinal against either Andy Roddick, a three time finalist, or Murray will be a harder challenge.

Having won the Queen’s Club trophy for the second time, Murray has once more found his mojo. Murray’s potential third round counterpart is Marin Cilic and either Stanislas Wawrinka or Richard Gasquet in the fourth round. While these are all worthy adversaries, Murray should have the upper hand.

Roddick also has a favorable path until the round of 16 where the unpredictable Gael Monfils possibly awaits. A Murray-Roddick quarterfinal would be a rematch of their sensational 2009 semifinal. Although Roddick’s year has been sub-par to date, he can rebound at SW19 where he has had great success previously.

Djokovic and Federer anchor the bottom half of the draw. Thus, the two could collide in the semifinals.

Federer’s initial obstacle could be in the third round in the form of David Nalbandian. The Argentine has been contending with injury but has the tools to trouble Federer. In the quarterfinals, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or David Ferrer could offer Federer stiff opposition. Still, the Swiss maestro would be in the driver’s seat.

Like Federer, Djokovic could have a few early intricate encounters such as Marcos Baghdatis in the third round and Michael Llodra or Viktor Troicki in the round of 16. Yet, Djokovic should move on to the quarterfinals.

The wildcard in that section is Robin Soderling. Even though grass is not Soderling’s strong suit and he’s been inconsistent this season, Soderling will be a formidable hurdle for either Djokovic in the quarterfinals or Federer in the semifinals.

Call it kismet or curse, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut who last year redefined the meaning of marathon match will do battle again in the first round. Without question, each man is praying for a less dramatic outing this time around.

Surprises at the majors have been few on the men’s side with Nadal and Federer dominant at the ultimate six to seven years. However, the gap has shrunk between the top three players with Djokovic raising his game to new heights this season.

Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have the greatest possibly of hoisting the trophy on the final Sunday. With less than one hundred points separating him from the Spaniard, Djokovic could rearrange the pecking order and overtake Nadal at number one after this event.

For Nadal to retain the title, Federer to bag number seven or Murray to become a hometown hero, for at least one or all, the road may lead through Djokovic. Fasten your seatbelt, Wimbledon will be quite the ride this year.

With three titles already this season and a 20-2 record, Soderling should have felt pretty good going into this contest. However, a recent ailment and an earlier than expected exit at Indian Wells allowed just enough room for Soderling to doubt his chances.

As a result of a net court winner, Del Potro obtained his fourth break point opportunity in the fourth game of the first set. The Argentine capitalized when Soderling’s backhand down the line sailed wide. Then, with an ace on game point, Del Potro consolidated for 4-1.

Because of sensational serving, Del Potro guarded the one break advantage and carried the first set.

After Del Potro broke the first game of the second set, Soderling came alive with two winners to go up 0-30. Yet, Del Potro’s serve came to the rescue. The Argentine saved the game for a 2-0 lead.

Later, Del Potro captured an insurance break. Then with a strong game closed out the match.

When Del Potro won the title in Delray, he felt that the true measure of the state of his game would be prevailing over a top ten player. Having accomplished this objective, Del Potro was asked to evaluate his progress “when you play against these kinds of players and [win it gives you a little bit of confidence]. Today, my serve, my forehand, my backhand, everything worked incredibly well. He’s a really good player. He had chances, too, but I took my opportunities. . .that was very important for my confidence”.

For 2010 Sony Ericsson Open semifinalist Soderling, on all fronts, his play was a disaster. Soderling commented: “I’m not playing well. I’m not feeling well. I’m not moving well. I’m not serving well. My serve is normally my biggest weapon. My backhand is not good. There are a lot of things I need to work on”.

In explaining the drop in his performance since February when he collected a spate of titles, Soderling said “I had some tough times after Marseilles. I got sick and had some small injuries which I struggled with for a while. I haven’t been able to practice the way I wanted to”.

Earlier in the day, Mardy Fish dispatched Richard Gasquet in straight sets. The reward for Fish’s hard work is a fourth round date with Del Potro. It’s a rematch of the International Tennis Championships semifinal whereby Del Potro was victorious.

David Ferrer, the sixth seed, breezed through his match with Smodev Devvarman. In the subsequent round, Ferrer will contend with fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers who shocked Michael Llodra.

John Isner ended Alex Bogomolov’s dream run. Bogomolov booted fifth seed and 2009 champion Andy Murray in the previous round. Upcoming in the fourth round for Isner is Kevin Anderson. Anderson defeated Pablo Andujar who had victimized Fernando Verdasco in the second round.

Novak Djokovic continues to be unstoppable. In under an hour, Djokovic bounced wildcard James Blake 6-2, 6-0 to book his spot into the fourth round.

Djokovic will battle fellow countryman Viktor Troicki. Troicki topped another American Sam Querrey in a difficult three setter.

It’s perhaps safe to surmise that Denis Istomin had a feeling of impeding doom prior to his match.  Of late, most players seeing Djokovic across the net would share a similar uneasiness.

After having a bagel besides his name in the first set, Istomin held his first service game of the second set.  However Istomin’s, next time around, Djokovic obtained the break.

Djokovic went down double break point while trying to consolidate.  Any notion of Istomin showing signs of life were quickly eradicated as Djokovic guarded serve for 4-1.

For Istomin the winners were too few while the errors were many.  Consequently, it took Djokovic just 48 minutes to dispatch his adversary.

Subsequent to the match, MiamiTennisNews.com wanted to know:  You’ve played so much tennis, is it helpful that tonight’s match was so short?
DJOKOVIC:  Definitely helpful.  In opening rounds. . . you’re trying to get used to the conditions and you don’t want to underestimate your opponent.  So you want to step into the court and try to be focused from the start and try to get as quickly as possible out of the court.  I did a great job tonight.

Djokovic has yet to surrender a match this season, as such, MiamiTennisNews.com inquired:  you’ve been unbeatable this year, does playing so well bring another level of pressure to maintain that high standard of play?
DJOKOVIC:  Yes.  But, I’m not thinking too much about being unbeaten this year or, what it carries with it, some kind of pressure or expectations.
I got used to that.  I’m playing for many years already on a high level in professional tennis, and I’m using this experience this year to be able to perform my best on the court.
I’m fresh mentally, motivated to have even more success.  I’m looking [forward] to upcoming challenges. . . I need to stay physically fit and healthy in order to be consistent [and] success[ful].

As far as his next round encounter with Blake, Djokovic responded:  “He’s a great competitor.  He’s very exciting to watch.  He hits the ball very clean, very powerful.  He’s a great mover.  He’s very fast.  He [will have] a lot of support from the crowd.  It’s definitely not an easy one”.

Djokovic has teamed up with Andy Murray in doubles.  Murray was upset earlier in the day.  Therefore, he was asked about “Andy having no confidence at the moment”.  Djokovic replied:   “I absolutely understand.  It proves. . . that this sport is all mental in the end.  You can work as hard as you can and you can practice. . . but if you don’t have that self belief on the court. . .it can easily turn against you.  I felt it last year in this period for first five, six months.. .  I know how it feels like”.

While Djokovic was walking all over Istomin, Juan Martin Del Potro was having a bear of a time with second round opponent, Philipp Kohlschreiber.  Ultimately, Del Potro battled past Kohlschreiber 6-7,6-4,7-5 to move on.

After going up an early break in the first set, Del Potro was broken twice.  In fact, Kohlschreiber served for the first set at 6-5.  Although Del Potro forced the tiebreaker, Kohlschreiber dominated to pocket the first set.

In the second set, Del Potro again got an early lead only to find himself later all squared. Del Potro won the set to force the decider.  In the final set, Kohlschreiber put up a spirited fight, but a determined Del Potro withstood the German to advance.

John Isner also needed three sets to book his place into the third round.  Isner got by Igor Andreev 6-4,5-7,7-6.

Earlier in the day, ninth seed Fernando Verdasco was upended by Pablo Andujar.  On the other hand, Richard Gasquet, Michael Llodra, Sam Querrey and David Ferrer made short work of their rivals.

In the first night session match, Kei Nishikori eliminated wild card James Blake 6-3, 6-4. The second round encounter was a rematch of the 2008 final whereby Nishikori was also victorious.

In the afternoon session third-seeded Sam Querrey went down in straight sets to qualifier Ryan Sweeting, while Ivan Dodig advanced over Dudi Sela 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

In another second round match Adrian Mannarino rallied from a set down to advance over Leonardo Mayer 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Thursday afternoon, 2009 ITC champion Mardy Fish will take on the 2004 ITC champion Ricardo Mello. The night session is highlighted by 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro who takes on Teymuraz Gabashvili. Gabashvili eliminated John Isner in the first round.

Here is the order of play for Thursday, February 24 :

STADIUM start 11:00 am
B Becker (GER) / M Kohlmann (GER) vs C Kas (GER) / A Peya (AUT)

Not Before 12:30 PM
R Mello (BRA) vs [2] M Fish (USA)

Not Before 2:30 PM
[8] A Mannarino (FRA) vs [Q] A Falla (COL)

5:30 PM
S Lipsky (USA) / R Ram (USA) vs J Murray (GBR) / K Skupski (GBR)

Not Before 7:15 PM
J Del Potro (ARG) vs T Gabashvili (RUS)
[5] K Anderson (RSA) vs F Serra (FRA)

Del Potro and Berankis traded breaks early in the first set before going back on serve in the sixth game. Serving at 4-5, Berankis was broken, handing Del Potro the first set. In the second set, Berankis was no match for Del Potro who easily ran away with the second set and the match.

In the post match interview, Del Potro responded to following questions from MiamiTennisNews.com:

Q: Since your return from your wrist surgery have you had to adjust the way you play or are are playing at the same level when you won the US Open?
Del Potro: It depends on the climate and how I feel on a given day. I do not have the same strength however my game remains the same. I try to be aggressive with all my shots as that is what has allowed me to win tournaments.

Q: Are you taking any special measures to protect your wrist or are you back to 100%?
Del Potro: No, I’m still rehabbing and receiving treatments. It is a very long process. It still hasn’t been a year since I had the surgery. The norm would be that I would have some pain. At the moment [the recovery] is going well.

Del Potro, who is making his first appearance in Delray, will face Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia in the second round. On Monday night Gabashvili upset the fourth-seeded American John Isner in a three sets.

Earlier, second-seeded Mardy Fish advanced when Bjorn Phau retired in the first set. Fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson moved into the second round with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 win over Donald Young while Janko Tipsarevic beat Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.

American qualifier Ryan Sweeting defeated Russian Igor Andreev 6-2, 6-3 in another first round match and Kei Nishikori of Japan defeated Brian Dabul of Argentina 6-2, 7-6.

Dudi Sela moves on to the second round by defeating Marinko Matosevic. Matosevic was added to the ITC draw when Andy Roddick withdrew from the tournament on Monday due to flu-like symptoms.

On Wednesday afternoon, Sam Querrey will take on fellow American Ryan Sweeting. The night session will feature a rematch of the 2008 ITC final when Nishikori faces wild card James Blake.

Here is the order of play for Wednesday, February 23 :

STADIUM start 11:00 am
C Fleming (GBR) / R Hutchins (GBR) vs J Murray (GBR) / K Skupski (GBR)

Not Before 12:30 PM
[3] [WC] S Querrey (USA) vs [Q] R Sweeting (USA)
D Sela (ISR) vs I Dodig (CRO)

5:30 PM
K Anderson (RSA) / D Martin (USA) vs F Ferreiro (BRA) / A Sa (BRA)

Not Before 7:15 PM
K Nishikori (JPN) vs [WC] J Blake (USA)
[Q] B Kavcic (SLO) vs [6] J Tipsarevic (SRB)

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
[8] A Mannarino (FRA) vs L Mayer (ARG)

Roddick, the top seed, may have to face Janko Tipsarevic for the second consecutive week.  This time, Roddick would battle Tipsarevic or 2010 finalist Ivo Karlovic for a spot in the semifinals.

Third seed and wildcard entry Sam Querrey may be another threat to Roddick’s quest to the final.  However, prior to a potential date with Roddick, Querrey may have to overcome either Nishikori, Russian Igor Andreev or the always dangerous Benjamin Becker in the quarterfinals.

In the bottom section, 2009 titlist Fish is the second seed.  Veteran Rainer Schuettler could present a grave challenge for Fish in the second round.  Then, in the quarterfinals, Fish could contend with Radek Stepanek.

Also, in Fish’s part of the draw are John Isner and Del Potro.  These latter two just clashed in Memphis and could see each other again in the second round.  American teenager Ryan Harrison has a terrific opportunity to get to the quarterfinals.  But, in that round, Isner or Del Potro may await him.  Consequently, Fish, Del Potro, Stepanek and Isner appear the ones with the truest chance to advance to the final.

While the likelihood of an all American final exist, Roddick vs. Isner or Roddick vs. Fish, there are plenty of potential spoilers.  Since returning from his wrist injury, Memphis seems to be a turning point for Del Potro.  The Argentine looks to have regained some of the form and confidence which propelled him to the top ten.  As a result, it would not be surprising to see two former U.S. Open champions Del Potro and Roddick duke it out for the ITC title.

Click here for a complete look at the draw as it appears on the ITC tournament website.

It’s been smooth sailing for Nadal in getting through to the round of 16.  The world number one’s excellent form will come in handy as he faces 2010 semifinalist Marin Cilic.  After two easy matches, Cilic edged out John Isner 9-7 in the fifth to earn a crack at Nadal.

After a thrilling first round five setter against Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian called it quit in the second round, four games away from being handed a straight set loss.  Mikhail Youzhny also departed earlier than expected.  The tenth seed was sent packing in the third round by Milos Raonic.  The 20 year old Canadian qualifier with the humongous serve also ousted Michael Llodra, the 22nd seed in the second round.  Next up for Raonic will be David Ferrer who is a relentless competitor.  Ferrer’s experience may prove too much for the youngster.  Thus, a Ferrer-Nadal quarterfinal showdown is the likely scenario.

Without much fuss, both Robyn Soderling and Andy Murray have been taking care of business.  Soderling’s fourth round match will be against Alexandr Dolgopolov.  The Ukrainian upset 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round.  Following an impressive second round match versus Juan Martin Del Potro, Marcos Baghdatis was forced to retire down two sets to one with a hand injury in his third round match against Jurgen Melzer.  As such, Murray will battle Melzer for a quarterfinal berth.

After letting a two set to none advantage evaporate, Federer came back in the fifth set to vanquish Gilles Simon in the second round.  Interestingly, it was Federer’s first victory over the Frenchman in their three meetings.  With Americans Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey on that side of the draw going out prematurely, Federer will play Tommy Robredo in the round of 16.  Despite a 9-0 mark versus Robredo, Federer will have to keep his eye on the ball if he plans to stick around.

Federer’s countryman, Stanislas Wawrinka is having a sensational tournament.  Wawrinka is for the first time in his second week at the Australian Open.  Wawrinka dispatched all his rivals in three sets including Gael Monfils in the third round.  On the other hand, Andy Roddick, the last American standing, after routine wins the initial two rounds had a spot of bother in his third round encounter.  Thus, Roddick may have his hands well occupied with Wawrinka in the fourth round.

Considering the caliber of the opponents Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round and Richard Gasquet the third round, Tomas Berdych has fared well to reach the round of 16.  The sixth seed will now have to get through Fernando Verdasco, the 2009 semifinalist, in order to move on to his first quarterfinal in Melbourne.  Verdasco himself had a lucky five set escape in the second round versus Janko Tipsarevic.

Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, should be well rested for his round of 16 match since Viktor Troicki retired in the third round after only one set.  Moreover, with Nicolas Almagro as the opposition, it’s a mere formality that Djokovic will advance to the quarterfinals.

With Nadal and Federer still alive, the question becomes who can stop them from obtaining another major.  Certainly, Murray and Soderling are proving so far that they could be up to that task.  In a couple of days, it will be known whether Nadal will complete the “Rafa Slam” with four consecutive majors or Federer pocket his 17th major.  Quarterfinal action gets underway in a few hours.

No room for dispute, 2010 was a banner year for Rafael Nadal.  The Spaniard captured three majors, regained the world number one ranking and completed the career grand slam.  As such, Nadal’s domination left no ambiguity as to who was the most outstanding player in 2010.  With the year at a close, here’s a snapshot of the stories which caught the headlines this foregone season.

After a slow start, Nadal found his footing on clay with his first calendar title at the Monte-Carlo Masters.  Subsequent to banking titles at the Masters in Rome and Madrid, Nadal culminated his clay campaign with his fifth big prize at Roland Garros.  At Wimbledon, the Spaniard defended his 2008 title to seize his second major at the All England Club.  Finally, at U.S. Open, with troublesome obstacles removed from his half of the draw,  Nadal reached his first final in New York.  Nadal stared down a strong challenge from Novak Djokovic to hoist his first U.S. Open trophy.  With a total of seven titles, Nadal topped his peers in 2010.

For Roger Federer, this year was a mixed bag.  After grabbing his sixteenth major in Australia, Federer had a fourth round loss at the Sony Ericsson Open to Tomas Berdych which sent him into a tailspin.  As defending champion at the French Open, Federer was beaten in the quarterfinals by Robin Soderling which ended an unprecedented streak of twenty-three consecutive semifinals at the majors.  Furthermore, defending champ Federer was ousted in the quarterfinals by Berdych at Wimbledon.  In fact, Federer’s ranking dropped to number three, his lowest since November 2003.  Yet, with his second title of the season at the Cincinnati Masters, Federer seemed again on the right road.  However, Federer failed to take advantage of match points in the U.S. Open semifinals against Djokovic and went down in flames.  After the New York fiasco, Federer resurfaced with a fresh coach, Paul Annacone, and won three of four finals including the ATP World Tour finals where he toppled Nadal.

The Australian Open appeared a turning point for Andy Murray.  Easily handled in the final by Federer, Murray could do nothing right with the racket for a while. Eventually at Wimbledon, Murray advanced to the semifinals only to be disappointed by Nadal.  With the defense of his title at the Rogers Cup, Murray seemed to be back.  But, another setback occurred at the U.S. Open where Murray was stunned in the third round by Stanislas Wawrinka.  In besting Federer in the Shanghai Masters final, Murray looked to be heading for a strong finish.  Yet, at the ATP World Tour Finals, Murray took another  downturn.  This was emblematic of the Scot’s tumultuous year which included a rupture with coach Miles Maclagan, a brief ceding of the world number four spot to Soderling and only two titles.

With solely two titles and a U.S. Open final appearance, Djokovic had a so-so year.  The Serb even ascended to number two for a bit, but finished at number three.  While individual success was sparse, Djokovic led his country to its first Davis Cup title.  Along with countryman Viktor Troicki, Djokovic mounted a brilliant comeback to stop France from a tenth trophy.

For the second consecutive year, Soderling earned a place in the final at Roland Garros.  Last year, by shocking Nadal in the round of 16, Soderling stamped his name into tennis trivia.  This time around though there was no surprise as Nadal exacted sweet revenge.  In the Paris Masters final, Soderling vanquished Gael Monfils for his biggest career title.  A few weeks later, Soderling announced that coach Magnus Norman and he were splitting up because the former wanted to dedicate more time to his family.  Thus, it will be interesting to see how Soderling will fare without the man who spearheaded his rise.

Despite no titles, 2010 was a breakthrough season for Berdych.  After a finalist showing at the Sony Ericsson Open, Berdych made it to the semifinals at Roland Garros.  Moreover, Berdych booked his first slot in the final of a major at Wimbledon.  Consequently feeling the weight of expectation, Berdych crashed in the first round at the U.S. Open and had a mediocre finish to his season.  With his highest career ranking at number six, Berdych will have to prove in 2011 that he was not a flash in the pants but the real deal.

At 28, David Ferrer, a former world number four, shot up from a ranking of 17 at season’s start to number 7 at year’s end.  The hardworking Spaniard claimed two titles and participated in the year ending championships in London.  Although compatriot Fernando Verdasco also terminated the season with two titles and as the world number nine, he missed out on the final dance.  Furthermore, unlike 2009, Verdasco performed poorly at the majors with a single quarterfinal showing at the U.S. Open.

With his triumph at the Sony Ericsson Open, Andy Roddick seemed to put all the elements together for a push to another final at a major.  But Roddick hit a low following a gut wrenching loss to Yen-Hsun Lu ranked 82nd in the Wimbledon round of 16.  Later, Roddick had an early departure in Washington.  As a result, for the first time since 1973, no American male was ranked in the top ten in singles.  Shortly thereafter, tests revealed Roddick was on the tail end of a bout of mononucleosis.  At the ATP World Tour Finals, Roddick was a shell of what he had been when the season began.

Several other veterans stood up in 2010.  Mikhail Youzhny demonstrated he still had game at the age of 28 with two titles.  The Russian was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open and ended the year as the world number ten.  At 29, Jurgen Melzer reached his first career major semifinal at Roland Garros and had his best ranking at eleven.  Besides, Melzer and Philipp Petzschener won their first doubles major at Wimbledon.  Following hip surgery, with a title at the Legg Mason Classic, David Nalbandian proved once again he was a force.  Michael Llodra equaled his career high ranking of 23 and was essential to France’s run to the final of the Davis Cup.  In the final at Indian Wells, 31 year old Ivan Ljubicic upended Roddick for his tenth and loftiest career prize.

As a result of a wrist injury in the early months, Juan Martin Del Potro went from a potent threat to Nadal and Federer to being unable to defend his U.S. Open title.  After the Australian Open, Del Potro had surgery and needed months to recuperate.  Del Potro returned in October and played just two tournaments with prompt exits.  Thus, Del Potro the world number four last year finds his ranking in the cellar at 258 this month.

At Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut made history with the longest match ever.  In a first round match lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes over two days, Isner emerged as the winner edging Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set.  However, the next round, Isner was drained and went away in straight sets.

Carlos Moya, the 1998 French Open champion and former world number one, succumbed to age and a body which would not cooperate despite his desire to continue.  This November, Moya retired at 34 after winning twenty titles.

In doubles, Mike and Bob Bryan dominated with an unblemished record in finals at 11 including the Australian and U. S. Open titles.  Also, the two became the winningest team in doubles surpassing the previous mark set by Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde at 61. In addition, the Bryan brothers finished at number one ahead of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.  Despite seven titles, amongst them the French Open and the ATP World Tour Finals, Zimonjic and Nestor decided to part ways at season’s end.

In conclusion, with the 2011 season just around the corner, there are a horde of interesting questions on fanatics’ mind.  Can Nadal accomplish the calendar grand slam?  Will Federer win another major or will 16 be all he wrote?  Moreover, can Federer wrestle the number one ranking from his nemesis?  Will Murray terminate the British drought at the majors?  Who will be the breakout star of this new season ?  Will Del Potro be healthy again and climb back to where he was in 2009?  With the Australian Open less than three weeks away, some of these answers will be come soon enough.