Rafa Nadal is a deserving year end no. 1 for 2013

Rafa Nadal has confirmed the year end no. 1 ranking with his victory over Wawrinka in the World Tour Finals.

Rafa had the 2 biggest periods of dominance this year, where he won many big titles in a row, including 2 Grand Slam titles.

The first one started in Barcelona in April 2013 and it continued till Roland Garros finals in June. During this period, he won 22 matches in a row, including two Masters 1000 titles at Rome and Madrid and topped it with the French Open crown.

His 2^nd period of dominance was surprisingly on the North American hard courts where he had struggled in the past. He won back to back titles in the masters events at Montreal and Cincinati. Rafa continued that momentum to defeat Djokovic in the US Open finals. Thus he remained undefeated on the North American hard court swing.

During these two periods of dominance, he beat all the top players in the world, and most notably his biggest rival Djokovic in both the French Open as well as the U S Open.

Djokovic, it can be argued had an equally great year. He had a great start to the season: (17-0) till he first lost in Miami, as well as a great end streak from October 2013 where he has won 19 matches in a row including two masters titles at Shanghai and Paris.

However, between them, it was clearly Nadal who won the most important battles and beat Djokovic in their 2 Grand Slam battles of the year. For winning those , and for winning a record 5 masters titles for the season, it would be right to say that Nadal truly deserves the year end no. 1 ranking. 

Analyzing the draw at the ATP World Tour Finals

The draw for the ATP World Tour Finals is bound to leave its impressions on the fight for the year end no.1 ranking between Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The draw has put Rafa in the same half with Ferrer, Wawrinka and Berdych. Against these players, he has an overall record of 47-8. This makes it highly likely that Rafa would easily sail through to the semis from this half of the draw, with the remaining spot being evenly contested between the other three.

The other half of the draw is the tougher one, with six time champion Federer, the defending champion and the hot on heels Novak Djokovic, and the resurgent Del Potro all in same group. Considering Djokovic’s current form, he should most likely make it to the semis. However Del Potro and Federer both have huge serves and on the fast indoor courts of London, they may cause an upset or two.

Rafa needs to win 2 of his matches in the league stage to ensure he ends the year ranked no. 1 in the world. That is assuming Novak wins all of his matches in the tournament, which won’t be an easy task considering the level of competition. All this indicates that Rafa would create history by becoming the first man to regain the year end no. 1 ranking twice after losing it.

Analyzing the draw at the Paris Masters

The draw at the Paris Masters  is out and has ramifications for the field at World Tour Finals as well as the year end no. 1 fight between Nadal and Djokovic.

The draw has not been kind on home grown players Tsonga and Gasquet who are currently in the race for a spot in the World Tour Finals at London. They have been scheduled to meet in the 3^rd round at Paris, implying one of them would most likely miss out on a London ticket. It also increases Federer’s chances of qualifying, should he win at Basel this week.

The draw for Nadal has increased his chances of confirming the year end no.1 ranking. In his quarter are Tsonga and Gasquet against whom he should sail through based on his past record against them and his current form. He could meet Ferrer or Raonic in the semis and again these players would not pose much trouble for him. 

Djokovic on the other hand has a tough draw. He is drawn to meet the big servig American Isner in the 3^rd round, followed by Warinka in the quarters and Del Potro/Federer in the semis. These all players have had some degree of success against him in the last 2-3 years and have troubled and beat him on occasions.

All this suggests that by this tournament end, Nadal might confirm the year end no. 1 ranking, while Federer would make another trip to London for the World Tour finals.

Ranking Sachin Tendulkar’s 5 best test innings

Sachin Tendulkar has been one of the biggest icons in the 60 years of India’s independence. A whole generation of Indians has grown up watching him bat and almost singlehandedly carry the burden of our batting in the 90s. He was a pure genius who waved his bat like a magic wand and delivered time and again for India. As he goes into the sunset, let us revisit some of his best performances in test matches in the last 2 decades.

The criteria for ranking his 5 best test innings have been the following:

•          Quality of the bowling attack
•          The nature of the pitch
•          Situation of the match and the series
•          The entertainment value of the innings
•          Impact of the innings on the outcome of the match

No. 5: 169 vs South Africa at Capetown, 1997

This innings scores very high for me on 3 of the above mentioned factors, i.e. entertainment value, quality of the attack and the situation of the match. India had been bowled out in the 1^st test of the series for a paltry 100 and 66 in both the innings and lost miserably. The South African bowlers were all in their prime with Donald, Pollock and MC Millan all breathing fire.In the 2^nd test at Capetown, South Africa scored a mammoth 529 in the first innings and India were immediately under the gun in their 1^st innings. Sachin arrived with the score at 25/3 and India were soon 58/5 with Sachin and Azhar at the crease. It was then that these two launched a brilliant counter attack and smashed the world class South African quickies to all corners of the ground.220 runs were scored by them in 40 overs. It was amongst the most amazing counter attacks ever launched by Indian batsmen on foreign soil. Tendulkar scored 169 at a strike rate of 66 and hit 26 boundaries in the innings. He was the last man out.

No.4: 114 vs Australia at Perth, 1992

This innings of Sachin scores high on 3 of the above mentioned factors, i.e. quality of the bowling attack, nature of the pitch and entertainment value of the innings. On a fast bouncy WACA pitch, all the other Indian batsmen struggled against a good pace attack in Australian conditions, comprising McDermott, Merv Hughes and Paul Reifell. Sachin displayed his great talent for facing fast bowling in help conditions for the 1^st time in test cricket. Not only he scored 114 runs, but he looked completely at ease during his stay and scored the runs at a fast clip too. His innings included 16 boundaries and was pure entertainment for a cricket fan. Even today many people rate that innings as his finest innings on a bouncy track.

No. 3: 155 vs Australia at Chennai, 1998

Shane Warne once famously remarked that he had nightmares of Sachin Tendulkar hitting him for sixes. This innings was may be the biggest reason why. It was the first test match of the 1998 series. Australia had taken a 1^st innings lead, and India were under some pressure when Sachin came out to bat in the 2^nd innings. He then launched a massive counter attack, and especially tore into Shane Warne on a turning track. He repeatedly used his feet to attack his leg spinner and smacked it straight down the ground for 6s and 4s. The world had never seen Warne being attacked in such a manner. Sachin hit 4 6s and 14 boundaries in his whirlwind knock of 155 not out in a mere 191 balls, and his innings was like a knockout punch that completely put Australia out. Australia never recovered from this knockout punch, and lost the series 1-2.

No. 2: 116 vs Australia at Melbourne, 2000

Against an all team great bowling attack comprising McGrath, Warne, Lee and Fleming, Sachin scored 116 on a very lively Melbourne pitch. All the other Indian batsmen struggled against the accuracy of McGrath and the pace of a young Bret Lee bowling at 150+ kmph. What makes this innings rank this high is the combination of the lively pitch conditions, with enough bounce and movement for all the fast bowlers, and the great Aussie attack, which was near to unplayable for all the other Indian batsmen. Apart from Sachin, who also scored a fifty in the 2^nd innings, no other Indian batsman crossed 45 in either innings.

No. 1: 136 vs Pakistan at Chennai, 1999

This was undoubtedly Sachin’s greatest test innings. Against another all time great bowling attack comprising Akram, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mustaq, Sachin almost single handedly took India to the brink of victory. The pitch was a tough one to bat on in the 4^th innings, with prodigious reverse swing and spin both happening. Chasing a target of 271 runs to win, India were reduced to 82 for 5 at a stage. It was almost like the match would end soon. Sachin then launched a terrific counter attack in very tough conditions. It looked like he would single handedly take India to victory. Disaster struck a mere 17 runs before victory. Sachin misread a Saqlain Mustaq doosra and got out, with 3 wickets remaining. The tail failed to resist against the hot Pakistan attack and India lost by 12 runs. Had India won this test match, this innings would have ranked in the Wisden Top 10 test innings of all time.

Indian Test batting looks in safe hands even after Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement

A big tree of Indian batting, Sachin Tendulkar would fall down in November 2013, as he plays his last 2 test matches against West Indies. It’s the end of an era. As this happens, let us sit and analyze the future of Indian test batting.

The new crop of Indian batsmen, including Kohli, Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara have performed well in the international circuit so far, and seem to possess both the talent as well as the temperament to succeed in test cricket. These may become the new Fab 4 of Indian batting in times to come.

Out of these 4, Dhawan, Kohli and Pujara have already performed creditably in the limited test matches they have played in. Rohit Sharma is considered to be India’s most talented young batsman, and he has also started showing some consistency in batting since opening the batting in ODIs. He will surely get his chances in test cricket after Sachin’s retirement, and has all the potential in the world to make it big.

These four may write another golden chapter in the history of Indian test batting, and with an ever strengthening fast bowling attack, with bowlers like Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron capable of hitting the 150 kmph mark, they may shape India into a true world champion team in test cricket also. 

The South Africa tour in December 2013 would be their first litmus test, and here’s hoping that they all pass with flying colours, and lead India to its 1^st test series victory in South Africa.

Analyzing impact of Novak Djokovic’s victory at the Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic has regained his crown at the Rolex Shanghai Masters by beating Del Potro in a tightly contested final. With this victory, he has displayed his hunger to get back to the no.1.

The victory has given Djokovic a slim chance at regaining the no.1 ranking if Nadal continues his performance slide since the US Open. Ever since that defeat, Djokovic looks like a man on a mission. And that is to show that he is indeed the best tennis player on the planet at the moment, and he wants the crown back. His intensity and aggression were on a different level altogether in Shanghai as he defended his title.

This also means Rafa needs to get his act together and perform well in the 3 remaining tournaments of the year which will be all indoor tournaments. The fact that he has 0 points to defend compared to 1500 for Djokovic at the WTF, gives him a good chance to end the year as no. 1, but any further slips in performance may prove costly.

He currently leads Djokovic by about 400 points, and with Basel, Paris and London to come, he must win around 1000 points in order to ensure his stay at the top of the rankings. Whatever happens, we are all set for a cracker of a season end tennis championships this time.

Rafa Nadal’s 3rd reign at No.1 would be a long one

Rafa Nadal has regained the no.1 ranking after reaching the finals of Beijing Open. Several factors indicate this would be a long reign at no.1. 

Rafa’s currently has a healthy lead of about 2700 points over Djokovic in the year to date ATP rankings. Rafa has 0 points to defend till the Australian Open next year. In the same period, Djokovic defends around 4500 ATP points. This should give Rafa a healthy lead over Novak by beginning next year.

Also, Rafa’s  form at hard courts has been almost impeccable this year (27-1), and he is playing the most aggressive hard court tennis of his career. He has played much closer to the baseline and dominated and bulldozed opponents with his rocket forehand. He has victories over Federer and Djokovic in fast hard courts of Cincinati and the U S Open respectively. 

All these point towards a good season end performance by Rafa in the remaining 2 Masters at Shanghai and Paris, and at the World Tour Finals in London. 

Also, Rafa’s clay court dominance over the years would help him defend the points won over the clay season in 2014. Also, he has no points to defend at Wimbledon. All this would mean Rafa would hang on to the no. 1 raking at least till August next year. Then the biggest challenges would start for Rafa when he would have to defend big points over the US Open 2014 series.

It would thus be safe to say that tennis world would see Rafa at the top for a long period now, with Djokovic and others playing catch up for much of the coming 12 months.

Analysing the draw at the Beijing Open

The draw for the Beijiing Open is out. Amongst the top players, Nadal seems to have got an easier draw compared to Djokovic. 

Nadal opens his campaign against a qualifier, followed by a possible 3^rd round meeting against Kohlsreiber. His potentital quarter final opponent could be Haas or Hewitt. None of these players pose a real threat to Rafa.  Nadal’s first true test would come in the semis when he may face Berdych or Isner.

Djokovic meanwhile has a slightly trickier draw with Wawrinka in his quarter of the draw. He opens his campaign against Lukas Rosol, Nadal’s conqueror at Wimbledon 2012, and could face Verdasco in the 3^rd round. A tough quarterfinal test could present before Djokovic in form of Wawrinka, who has stretched him to limits twice this year in the Australian Open and the US Open, losing both matches in 5 sets.

All in all, this draw favors Rafa more and has increased his chances to reach the finals at the Beijing Open and regain the no. 1 ranking.