The WTF Draw

Is out!!

Group A: Djokovic, Murray, Berdych and Tsonga
Group B: Federer, Ferrer, Del Potro, Tipsarevic

RF will be happy.....

Yes Roger will be very happy me thinks. No doubt Group A poses more challenges but still hopeful that Andy will come through it providing he has bucked his ideas up.

wow that isn't lopsided is it?

federer has two certain wins there with not much challenge the other group is a stinker!

Another reminder that when Nadal is out, one side of a draw always looks much harder than the other.

Stinker of a draw for Novak but he got a nice one at USO, so can't complain too much.

I have a strong feeling that at least one of Andy and Novak won't get past the round robin stage.

My prediction is:

Group A:
Djokovic W3 L0 (W v Murray, Tsonga, Berdych)
Berdych W2 L1 (W v Murray, Tsonga, L v Djokovic)
Murray W1 L2 (W v Tsonga, L v Berdych, Djokovic)
Tsonga W0 L3 (L v Murray, Djokovic, Berdych)

Group B:
Federer W2 L1 (W v Ferrer, Tipsarevic, L v Del Potro)
Ferrer W2 L1 (W v Tipsarevic, Del Potro, L v Federer)
Del Potro W2 L1 (W v Tipsarevic, Federer, L v Ferrer)
Tipsarevic W0 L3 (L v Federer, Ferrer, Del Potro)

If you think group A is tough for Andy or Novak, imagine how Berdy and Jo feel!

As a Murray fan I'm actually delighted. It's ridiculously tough but I want to see Murray pushed to the maximum, and this draw certainly does that.

I would put Roger as favourite now.

Group A: Djokovic, Murray, Berdych and Tsonga
Group B: Federer, Ferrer, Del Potro, Tipsarevic

Do you want to draw Djokovic or FEderer? Not much in it.
Berdych or Del Potro? Not much in it.
Murray or Ferrer? You want Ferrer, especially after he's got to the Paris well.
Tsonga or Tipsarevic. You want Tipsy.

Given this this is a great draw for Federer and Del Potro and a bad draw for Djokovic and Berdych.

I think Federer was favourite before the draw, he is certainly is now.

Murray can definately win this though, I could see Del Potro as a strong dark horse as well.

When do you find out who is playing who on each day during group stages. Keen to know who I will get to see Friday

I'm going for

A - Djokovic and Berdych to go through
B - Federer and DP

Fed-Djokovic final...Djokovic wins.

So far, only Monday & Tuesday schedules are confirmed .....

MON
afternoon : Murray plays Berdych
evening : Djokovic plays Tsonga

TUES
afternoon : Federer plays Tipsarevic
evening : Ferrer plays Del Potro

Interesting that a few don't think Murray will make it through the group. I guess he does have a negative h2h against 2 of his 3 opponents.

I think he will reach the semis personally. Maybe the final. But indoor I think Roger might edge it.

I am hopeful that Andy will at least get through the group stage. It does depend on how much he has left in the tank and how his confidence is after a disappointing last few weeks.

Yes CC, my thinking is that he's a bit tired and flattish at the moment. Mentally he seems a little awry having had MPs in his last 3 tournaments yet lost.

Courtesy of the GOAT.........................

"This is My letter to Mr. London Finals. As always, I like to share as much as possible with My fans so here it is. It was hand-delivered by staff.

Dear Mr. London,

I am fine.

Actually I am not fine. I have the little niggles that are bothering Me at the moment. I cannot go into the details because of Tommy Haas. The second half of the year has not been so good. During Shanghai I had to give up the finals of the semis because of a major weather alert. It was very risky to play in the treacherous conditions and I made some apprehensions. In the end I decided to let it go, it was just not worth it.

Just recently I was in the Basel Masters 5000 in Basel, My “homes” tournament. I have won this grand event for the past 29 years but again, I put safety first. There was an earthquake off the West Coast of Canada that morning and I decided, when facing 3 match points against Me in the tie break, that I should lose. Decided? Yes, you will know from various Press Conferences that it is Me that decides whether to win or lose matches. So, for the sake of Me and My staff I thought it better to leave Basel tout de suite in case the earthquake decided to spread and move towards us. Safety first.

Lastly, I have decided not to play in Paris. Sorry to all My French fans, I know you will be devastated. But in every pillow, there is a gold lining (well, there is in mine anyway) and I would like to tell you that Rafa won’t be there. You may all smile for 10 minutes.

Lastly, Mr. London I would like to inform you of an error for the End of Year World Tour Finals in London, at the end of the year, after the world tour, in London. I instructed staff to make the checkings on your website (internet) and you seem to have only put up one side of the draw and you have mistakenly put Me in it. I recognize most of the names. This must be Djokovic and Murray’s side of the draw. Where are the other ones that I normally play? The Little Guys? I am confident you will correct this as soon as possibles. If you need any assistance do contact My good friend Mr. Wimbledon who will be happy to help.

Lastly, to add an insult to My injuries, I feel that I was recently the victim of a dupe. What I thought was a good friend of Mine, Mr. Mark Hodgkinsons, gave Me a gift of a book he wrote. Mark is the boss of TheTennisSpace.com and they are lucky enough to have Me write some exclusives for them sometimes. He gave Me this gift wrapped in gold paper, a “special preview before the release date” he said. I was so excited! I thought it was a book about Me. I settled down with staff and arranged a small humble unwrapping ceremony. I even got comfortable waiting for staff to read it Me. To My horror I discovered it was a book about Andy Murray! As though I haven’t seen enough of him this year already! However, I think Mr. Hodgkinsons did this as the jokes so I made a small chortle. I imagine he will see Me again soon with a book about Me.

Sort out the draw Mr. London.

You’re welcome,
PF
xxx"

http://pseudofedblog.com/

I guess Draw is worst for Roger, coz he have to face either Djoko/Murray in semi's which could potentially knock him out.I personally see a winner outside top 3, it could be the talisman Ferrer or Gentle Giant Del Po.

I thought it was a decent draw for Federer and I'm sure he is happy with it too. There is no guarantee he will get at least 2 wins in his group based on the way he has been playing the last couple of weeks. The form he showed in Basel was not great and his focus seemed elsewhere. Ferrer might get that elusive win over him this time, just as Davydenko did at the WTF final in 2009. Federer is not playing well enough this time round so no amount of kind draws will help him if his game is off or he is having a bad day just as he did in the Basel final.

Had he been seeded #1, he would have replaced Djoko in group A and Djoko would have the kinder draw. Its all speculation at the moment. I don't see Tsonga/Berdych toppling Murray or Djokovic. They may take it to a decider but I cannot see wins. Bad match ups for Fed are vs Berdych, Murray or JMDP.