As the 2012 ATP season comes to a close, it is safe to say that this season was full of surprises. Whether it was the stunning announcement of Andy Roddick’s retirement mid US Open, or the fact that each Grand Slam was won by a different competitor, this season did more than enough to keep us on our toes.
The PNB Paribas Masters tournament, which is currently underway, is the last tournament in which the full field of ranked professionals competes. It’s always a bit of an odd way to close the season, with the top eight players either not competing or shipping it in, so they can rest up for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Federer bowed out before the tournament started, Djokovic somehow lost to Sam Querrey (maybe he should have focused on the tennis instead of making a dark-vader-masked scene), and Murray today lost to Pole Jerzy “Happy to be in the top 100” Janowicz. To be fair I’d tank in preparation for a tournament that offers the winner more prize money, 1.6 Million, than they would receive upon winning the French Open.
With Federer dropping out of the PNB Paribas, the number 1 ranking was automatically gifted to Djokovic for the second year running. That distinction however, is a bit misleading. After winning the Australian Open, Djokovic won exactly 1 tournament over the next 7 months. If he hadn’t taken down back-to-back titles in China (both after the US Open when casual fans have stopped watching) it would have been a rather forgettable season for Novak, especially compared to his epic 2011 campaign. Djokovic’s number 1 ranking is more of a product of the big 4 beating up on each other in 2012, then Djokovic being the player that he was in 2011. So who was the real winner of 2012?
Andy Murray’s now infamous Wimbledon Final post-match interview in which he cried (and we cringed), signaled a distinct shift in his tennis career. While it was easy to suggest this episode represented a complete breakdown (Murray kind of makes a habit of crying actually. Not a good look), it soon became apparent those tears were not those of a defeated man. Not but a month later Murray defeated, no destroyed, Federer in the Olympic finals. Not only did he defeat Federer, who was extra determined to add Olympic Gold, the one title he was missing, he did it while under incomprehensible pressure. He did it while representing Britain, in front of the demanding British fans, as well as at center court where he had just lost Wimbledon. If that’s not overcoming pressure than I don’t know what is.
Unsurprisingly, Murray rode his momentum to the US Open and got the Grand Slam monkey off his back by winning the tournament. Murray’s victory not only bridged the gap between himself and the rest of the big 4, but also signaled the growing parity in tennis, even if only at the top. Sure Murray didn’t win the most tournaments (Federer- 6), dominate the clay court season (Nadal, 4 wins in 2 months), or win 4 of 5 majors from 2011-2012 (Djokovic), but he proved he could win a Grand Slam. For me those two wins could be the confidence boost he needs to propel himself to a 2011 Djokovic type season. It seems that at the end of this season, more than any in recent memory, the title for “best tennis player in the world” is up for grabs.
