Have a guess at the top 10 ranking on Dec 2012!

1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB)
2 Federer, Roger (SUI)
3 Murray, Andy (GBR)
4 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG)
5 Nadal, Rafael (ESP)
6 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA)
7 Ferrer, David (ESP)
8 Dolgopolov, Alexandr (UKR)
9 Simon, Gilles (FRA)
10 Raonic (Can)

Djokovic
Nadal
Murray
Federer
Berdych
Tsonga
JMDP
Raonic
Tipsy
Soderling

Nadal
Fed
Murray
Djoko

Nadal
Djokovic
Murray
Federer
Tsonga
Del Potro
Ferrer
Berdych
Soderling
Simon

Another interesting question is who could break into the top 10 for the first time....we have Raonic (surely if injury free...) and Dolgo, anyone else? I think its still too early for Tomic...at the othre end are there any late bloomers like Fish who might break into top 10 for the first time?

Djokovic
Murray
Nadal
Federer
Del Potro
Tsonga
Ferrer
Belluci
Berdych
Dolgopolov

haven't seen that much in Raonic to suggest he's top 10 material to be honest. Great serve, decent forehand but that's about it. Isner isn't in the top 10, nor has he threatened it. Raonic does have time on his side, but he needs to improve quite a bit before he's top ten material.

Dolgopolov and Tomic both look more likely to me, though I see Dolgopolov more likely to be hanging around n°15 or so (bit of a maverick) and Tomic IMO will take a couple more years to get there.

Fair points M4C, I'm assuming Raonic will improve in 2012 and be injury free. Free what I've seen though he just about troubles everyone he plays so can imagine him going deep at quite a few events..but he is still young by relative standards. Dolgo is a great talent, kind of mercurial in a Santoro way, and I agree that makes him more of a unknown quantity and less consistent than others. I've also not seen alot of big match temperament from him either and wonder how strong he is when facing other top 10/20 guys. Probably the biggest unknown right now is how well will JDMP and Soderling do...if they come back strongly then its going to be a great tennis year

I think top four wise

Djokovic
Nadal
Murray
Federer

Hope I'm wrong. Both Nadal and Fed are kind of unpredictable for me at this stage.

1 Fed
2 JMDP
3 Murray
4 Djokovic
5 Tsonga
6 Nadal
7 Isner
8 Nalbandian
9 Ferrer
10 Berdych

Well come on board Prostaff! I like your choice!

It's so simple to assume same as now, plus a year of age. In that case you come up with what emancipator has done.

However the more interesting route is to foresee something dramatic happening, and I can only see three such items:

1. Nadal folds because he's come to the end of his tether with his game and too many figure him out (the Tenez option).
2. Djokovic can't reproduce (he drops back to #3 level)
3. Federer further restricts his activity (he may drop from the top 4)

Forecasting is pointless unless you know which will happen.. all 3 might even happen!!

I agree that forecasting is usually pointless. This is why I did not post on who were going to win teh next 4 slams. That's very hard andusually people just reproduce teh previous year. However the ranking of top 10 is more about who you see as moving up (form) and down in the next 12 months and I find it more intersting. At the end there will be a winner,....the one closest to reality.

From the current "fab four", Nadal is the most likely one to drop out in my opinion. Djoko and Murray are still on the rise, and a Federer with confidence must be able to win a couple of big tournaments next year.

Outside the current top 4, the most dangerous guys in the near term are Tsonga and Del Potro. They both have the power and quite some experience already. But they need to stay injury-free of course...

1. Nadal
2. Djokovic
3. Federer
4. Tsonga
5. Murray
6. Del Potro
7. Berdych
8. Ferrer
9. Tipsarevic
10.Troicki


I haven't a clue really, though I think Rafa will overtake Djokovic briefly and that Novak will reclaim the No 1 in 2013 - think Almagro and Fish will sink like stones - well down below 10 anyway. Soderling is going to take a while to get back, if at all post glandular fever. I'd like to see one of the young guys coming into top 20 but not convinced.

Tenez

Wow! You think Nadal will finish as high as 5. I'm shocked. Where exactly do you think he's going to win all those points now that everyone has figured out how to kill off all his weak moonballs with hard flat hitting?

LK will put on his prediction cap that has served him well this year.

1) Djokovic
2) Federer
3) Nadal
4) Tsonga
5) Murray
6) Del Potro
7) Ferrer
8) Tomic
9) Berdych
10) Soderling

A point of interest, if Nadal or Federer can reclaim YE #1 then they will be the first player to reclaim it twice I believe. This possibly shows how difficult it is, or that dominance occurs in chunks and, once gone, it is hard to become the alpha male again.

Anyway, my list:

1. Djokovic
2. Nadal
3. Murray
4. Federer
5. Tsonga
6. Del Potro
7. Ferrer
8. Berdych
9. Cilic
10. Monfils

1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Djokovic
4. Tsonga
5. Del Potro
6. Murray
7. Berdych
8. Ferrer
9. Dimitraonicpolovson
10. Tipsarevic

I think Federer will be ranked higher at the start of October than he will in December; remember he has rather a lot of points to defend from Basle --> London!

His peak ranking could come after the USO, or if he was within a gnat's whatsit of the top spot maybe Shanghai.

bogbrush wrote:I think Federer will be ranked higher at the start of October than he will in December; remember he has rather a lot of points to defend from Basle --> London!

His peak ranking could come after the USO, or if he was within a gnat's whatsit of the top spot maybe Shanghai.

This is why I make him second in my list...but regardless, it coudl be very open. However, for me the biggest question mark is Djoko. Will he improve..as he should or will he break down..as he could!

Murray
Nadal
Federer
Djokovic
Del Potro
Tsonga
Ferrer
Berdych
Soderling
Isner

Some great points above. I dont see Nadal losing his passion for the game long-term although he self-admits he has done at the moment - and the reasons for that are many I believe, not just on the tennis court. I think he'll gather himself again and still be a force to be reckoned with. Djokovic surely has to slip from the meteoric position of this year...Murray I see as having a similar year unless he changes something (he works too hard on fitness I believe). Federer has the best chance of doing better (no slams in 2011 of course) but the problem is that there will be lots of dangerous players around he doesnt like playing - Sod, Delpo, Jo-W, Tomas, Murray. So I'm going for a similar ranking list to this year with the caveat that Nole/Nadal could interchange quite a bit. 2013 I see as being more interesting in a way given some of the younger players maturing and the "older" guys maybe starting to tail off. I think the Olympics is a major factor in keeping Fed going for the moment, its a great long-term goal to keep him focused and practicising, after that I think his interest will start to wane quicker.

Nadal
Djokovic
Federer
Murray
Del Potro
Ferrer
Tsonga
Tipsarevic
Berdych
Dolgopolov

There are obviously a lot of inponderables at this stage. Can Djokovic regain the level that he had earlier this season, can Nadal get his drive back, will Federer just target the slams, olympics and wtf's therefore not gaining many points in the other masters events, will Murray get the belief that he needs to take him to the next step. All in all though I still see them as being the top four at the end of 2012. However I would expect and hope the rankings to be closer across the top ten than in this year especially if Del Potro gets back to full fitness and Tsonga,with the talent he has, can be more consistent.

1. Djokovic
2. Nadal
3. Murray
4. Federer
5. Del Potro
6. Ferrer
7. Tsonga
8. Berdych
9. Monfils
10. Soderling

I don't think any of the current top four will fall lower than that for any length of time. Tsonga is a threat but nowhere near consistent enough to make an impact on the top 4. I reckon JMDP will be the biggest threat and Ferrer will have another solid year.

Murray
Fed
Djoker
Nadal
Tsonga
Del Potro
Berdych
Isner
Hasse
Dimitrov

Haase a top tenner? That's a good one.

Though we all try our best to be as down to earth as possible when considering the future, we can't help adding a dose of wishful thinking.

It shows how optimistic we are as a species, and looking at the world nowadays...we desperately need to be!

tenez, he is a very good player. If courts get faster then there is nthign which can stop hasse from breaking into to 10

Also Murray is going to have a crackiing year in 2012 maybe 3 slams in ayear for him.

wow wrote:tenez, he is a very good player. If courts get faster then there is nthign which can stop hasse from breaking into to 10

Also Murray is going to have a crackiing year in 2012 maybe 3 slams in ayear for him.

Wouldn't it be funny if Murray won 3 slams not including wimbledon just to leave people something to complain about.

wow wrote:tenez, he is a very good player. If courts get faster then there is nthign which can stop hasse from breaking into to 10

Also Murray is going to have a crackiing year in 2012 maybe 3 slams in ayear for him.

I know he is. But being a good player is far from being enough nowadays. You need to be a tireless player as well.

Tenez wrote:

wow wrote:tenez, he is a very good player. If courts get faster then there is nthign which can stop hasse from breaking into to 10

Also Murray is going to have a crackiing year in 2012 maybe 3 slams in ayear for him.

I know he is. But being a good player is far from being enough nowadays. You need to be a tireless player as well.

Being tireless is the easy bit, Tenez

Agree, Djoko proved it how tireless he is....oh wait.

1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB)
2 Murray, Andy (GBR)
3 Federer, Roger (SUI)
4 Nadal, Rafael (ESP)
5 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG)
6 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA)
7 Ferrer, David (ESP)
8 Berdych, Tomas (CZE)
9 Raonic, Milos (CAN)
10 Soderling, Robin (SWE)

Lemme predict the top 20 and what they most likely win.
1]Roger Federer [ 2 slams + Olympics + 2masters]
2]Andy Murray [debut slam + 4 masters + WTF]
3]Novak Djokovic [1 Slam + 2 masters]
4]Rafa [1 Masters]
5]David Ferrer
6]Juan Martin Del Potro
7]Robin Soderling
8]Tsonga
9]Andy Roddick
10]Davydenko
11]Berdych
12]John Isner
13]Mardy Fish
14]Sam Querry
15]Almagro
16]Fernando Verdasco
17]Marian Cilic
18]Juan Monaco
19]Kei Nisihikori
20]R Gasquet

I forgot about Nishikori. I think that he will be close to top 10. Juan Monaco might carry his form too in 2012.

I'm going for the present top four to occupy the top four places, although, apart from Murray NOT making number one, I'm not sure of the order.
5-10 in no particular order will be Ferrer, JWT, Berdych, Fish, Roddick and del Potro.
Others to consider - Dullgulpalot, Nishikori, Soderling (if fit), Cilic. What's the record for the top four being unchanged in five successive seasons ?

sirfredperry wrote:........................................................

..............................................................................................
What's the record for the top four being unchanged in five successive seasons ?

I doubt there is a precedent.

In the mid-eighties Lendl, Mac, Connors and Wilander were all in the top four for three successive years. But I don't believe there's been anything beyond that (until now)

Tenez, you (and I) made these predictions a year ago. Maybe better to start by seeing how we did last time. To be honest, I don't think I did very well but can't seem to find the predictions at the moment.

Djokovic
Del Potro
Federer
Nadal
Murray
Tsonga
Ferrer
Tipsarevic
Raonic
Soderling


I think Del Potro and Djokovic will dominate mens tennis for the next 3 or 4 years. The injury clearly slowed Del Potro's rise but having seen him play Nadal on clay yesterday I am convinced he will become unplayable at times.

Djokovic should recover well enough to stay ahead for now though.

Henman Bill wrote:Tenez, you (and I) made these predictions a year ago. Maybe better to start by seeing how we did last time. To be honest, I don't think I did very well but can't seem to find the predictions at the moment.

Yes. I don;t think I did very well either. Let's concentrate on 2012!

To be fair Tenez you said around the end of 2010 on numerous occassions that you thought Djokovic might take over, and that he might go to number 1, (although I don't think you actually put that in the prediction thread). Anyway, I can't find it. It looks like 606 articles are no longer available for viewing like they were when it first closed down, lucky I copy and pasted all my articles then.

My prediction is:
1 Djokovic
2 Nadal
3 Federer
4 Murray
5 Del Potro
6 Ferrer
7 Tsonga
8 Berdych
9 Dolgopolov
10 Roddick

Dolgopolov ought to be set for a fairly good season, he often lost this season due to playing top 10 players, not many really poor results. Might get a better draw now and then next year.
Roddick might not be a sensible choice, there's also the argument that he's on a downward spin, but I think he'll make maybe a slam quarter somewhere, win a US 500 with no big players in, and maybe a masters semi in the US.
Other players I could see in the top 10 might include Almagro, Gasquet, Verdasco, Soderling (if fit and healthy) or Raonic.
Don't get the Isner/Monfils love - nice guys but limited game. Will be surprised to see either at the world tour finals next year at any rate.

Yes, I too remember Tenez predicting that Djokovic would dominate 2011.

But I expect even he didn't think it would happen to the degree that it did.

emancipator wrote:Yes, I too remember Tenez predicting that Djokovic would dominate 2011.

But I expect even he didn't think it would happen to the degree that it did.

True but I actually expected him to become a real threat in 2010, eben 2009. So I wasmore surprised he took him that long than the way he dominated 2011. Already in 2007 I feared he coudl beat Federer (AO07). Not an in the zone Federer of course...but one of his more human days....and he did a few months later. It was obvious he was teh real deal after Federer, especially teh way he coudl already handle Nadal while being very young.

1) Tsonga
2) Federer
3) Murray
4) Djokovic
5) Del Potro
6) Nadal
7) Dolgopolov
8) Ferrer
9) Fish
10) Roddick

break_in_the_fifth wrote:1) Tsonga
2) Federer
3) Murray
4) Djokovic
5) Del Potro
6) Nadal
7) Dolgopolov
8) Ferrer
9) Fish
10) Roddick

That's bold! Is that your Xmas wish list?

Djokovic
Murray
Nadal
Tsonga
Federer
Simon
Delpo
Soderling
Monfils
Tipsarevic

I think it's going to be an extremely close 2012

Tenez wrote:

break_in_the_fifth wrote:1) Tsonga
2) Federer
3) Murray
4) Djokovic
5) Del Potro
6) Nadal
7) Dolgopolov
8) Ferrer
9) Fish
10) Roddick

That's bold! Is that your Xmas wish list?

Odds are something unpredictable has to happen for once. I think conditions will speed up, that's what I'm basing a lot of this on. A lot of this is hope as far as I really hope Tsonga knows he could have beaten Fed and adjusts his game for Nadal as well. After that he has the flare and variety to see anyone else off. The funny thing about results in tennis is a lot of the time you see them but don't believe them. I actually like Djokovic and am glad he had the year he did yet I still don't believe he's better than Murray.

Nah, a burst of form on indoor doesn't mean he'll suddenly have good clay season, or retain his Wimbledon points next year. Tsonga to finish in the 5-10 region for me.

I actually fancy Tsonga's chances next year. he is the kind of player that if confident and fit can go on an unstoppable roll.