Nadal's fall was spectacular as the man of steel found himself dominated on tennis courts by the man from Serbia, Novak Djokovic.

The women crowned four separate grand slam winners while Caroline Wozniacki—who did not win one of the majors—maintained her status as the WTA World No. 1.

But that was then; this is now.

Time for our annual predictions on the upcoming year in tennis. In last year’s article, I managed to guess right about half of the time.

In baseball, hitting .500 is pretty darn good but in the prognosticating game it is fairly lackluster.

2012, however, promises to be a slam dunk.

Hold on to your rackets because the season opens in just a couple of weeks. Believe me, players and media hounds will hit the ground running.

This is what will happen in 2012—mark my words.

Begin Slideshow

The year began with Rafael Nadal ranked world No. 1, hoping to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four major championships at one time. But Nadal fell during the Australian Open quarterfinals, dashing his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Nadal, who had orchestrated an amazing 2010, would find himself supplanted in 2011 by Djokovic, who began the year by winning the Australian Open.

The Serb never lost in 2011 until Roger Federer stopped him at the finish line during the French Open semifinals. Djokovic would replace Federer as world No. 2, and then take over the No. 1 spot from Nadal at the 2011 Wimbledon tournament.  

The first six months of the season focused on Djokovic and his win streak, highlighted by his victories over the top-ranked players in the world during some very significant matches.

Once the tour turned indoor, Djokovic and Nadal faded, as Murray, then Federer surged at the end of the season.  

Here are the 12 most significant matches of 2011—those that most affected the established order.

Begin Slideshow

It is the crowning event of the 2011 season where the top eight men do battle to determine the champion of the champions.

The World Tour Finals is the latest title for the ATP year-end tournament for men’s professional tennis to be held in London for the second consecutive year.

The Masters year-end tournament, first played in 1970, features the top eight players on the men’s tour selected based on accumulated calendar year ATP ranking points. The top eight men draw to create two teams with members of each four-man team competing with each other in three round-robin matches. 

This year in Group A are Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych. In Group B we find Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish.

From each group, the two players with the best results move onto the semifinals where the top-ranked player from each group plays the second-ranked player from the other group. 

The final is contested by the winners of the semifinal contests. The winner of that match is accorded 1,500 ranking points as well as the honor and prestige of winning in a field of the best eight players in the world.

Last year, Roger Federer faced Rafael Nadal in the final which Federer won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1— giving the Swiss his fifth title in this event. That ties Federer with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl at five championship titles at the ATP year-end tournament.

So, in the 41 years the championships have been held, who are the multiple winners of this event? Who reigned as the best of the best at the end of the season?

We will count them down here.

Begin Slideshow

Yes, tennis is still being played in far away exotic locales in the far East like Beijing, Tokyo and now Shanghai where the men will meet for the Masters 1000 tournament starting this week.

Rafael Nadal is the No. 1 seed and Andy Murray sits at the bottom of the draw in the No. 2 spot, even though Murray completely manhandled Nadal in the Tokyo final on Sunday.

Murray, of course, is the Shanghai defending champion.

Earlier, Federer announced withdrawing from the Shanghai Masters scheduled to begin on October 10 because of nagging injuries.

He is not alone. Novak Djokovic has also announced his withdrawal along with Robin Soderling, Gael Monfils and Juan Martin del Potro to name a few players banged up, injured and generally unable to compete after 10-plus months on tour.

That gives the Swiss time to rest and repair before his hometown tournament in Basel, beginning October 30 where Federer is the defending champion. Basel will provide an excellent opportunity for Federer to face off against Djokovic who also plans to rejoin the tour at that tournament.

Basel marks the beginning of the end for Federer, using the tournament as preparation to defend his year-end title in London which starts November 20. Federer won his fifth ATP championship title there in 2010, overcoming Nadal in the final.

For the man who has accomplished so much—what exactly is in store for the Swiss Maestro as he heads into year No. 14 on the men’s tour?

Here are the boldest of bold predictions for Federer as he faces another year on tour...

Begin Slideshow

The champion of the Rogers Cup for the past two years, Andy Murray, has arrived and begun practicing, ready to defend his title against all comers. 

The men’s top four have not played on the ATP tour since Wimbledon, recouping, rejuvenating and retooling their games for the American hard-court season––which, in essence, lasts from the first week in August through the first week in September.

It culminates in New York City at the 2011 US Open.

Winning the US Open could salvage the year and the career of Andy Murray, now ranked No. 4.

Winning in New York could reestablish Rafael Nadal as a force at the top of the men’s game rather than as a man who failed to defend two of his last three major titles.

It could give Federer his sixth US Open title and his 17th Grand Slam title.

Finally, it could cement Novak Djokovic in the top spot, giving credence to the 48-1 record he brings into the American hard-court season.

This year, the Rogers Cup will be a combined event, even though it will continue to be hosted in two different locations with the men’s event in Montreal this year and the WTA event to be played in Toronto.

The schedules are supposed to complement each other with the idea being that fans will be able to enjoy both tournaments simultaneously. 

An interesting experiment, to say the least.

Nothing much of interest has happened in the men’s game since Wimbledon.

What are the odds coming into Montreal that (1) Murray will repeat as champion or (2) that Djokovic will continue his 48-1 winning streak or (3) that it will be Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal who adds a third Roger’s Cup to his very crowded Masters mantle?  

Begin Slideshow

Rafael Nadal: Leaping Back on the Merry-Go-Round

Trailing Novak Djokovic by 1,885 points, the ability to gain points and overtake the Serb is practically non-existent for Nadal this summer. Like Djokovic, Nadal entered both Toronto and Cincinnati before playing in the US Open in late August/early September. 

Similarly, Nadal advanced to the semifinals in Canada, losing to Andy Murray in straight sets, which gave the Majorcan 360 ranking points. Then, in Cincinnati, the former World No. 1 met and lost to Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinals, adding 180 ranking points. 

Nadal won his first US Open title last summer, defeating Djokovic in the final, giving the Majorcan an additional 2,000 points. In total, Nadal must defend 2,540 points this summer. 

Only if Nadal wins the two tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati and Djokovic loses both before the third round, could Nadal overtake the Serb before the US Open. At the US Open, Nadal must win the tournament to retain his current point count. He would have to win it all, and hope Djokovic went out very early in Flushing Meadows, to have a chance. 

But chances are that Djokovic will not collapse and lose early during the hard-court season. The real challenge for Nadal will not be to overtake Djokovic, but to defend his own position as the World No. 2. 

Still, nothing is impossible. If sheer determination will win the day, no one has more “will to win” than Rafael Nadal.
 

Roger Federer: Running in Place, Holding His Own

Roger Federer is 3,625 points behind Djokovic sitting at No. 1, and 1,740 points behind World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. There is no way Federer could overtake Djokovic at the No. 1 spot during the US hard-court season, but the Swiss is within remote shouting distance of Nadal.

Federer played in Toronto and Cincinnati last summer, making the finals of both tournaments. He lost to Andy Murray in the finals of the Roger’s Cup and won the tournament in Cincinnati, defeating Mardy Fish in a hard-fought contest. That means in these two tournaments alone the Swiss must defend 1,600 points and can only add 400 points by winning both Masters titles in 2011. 

At the 2010 US Open, Federer advanced to the semifinals where he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets. This gave Federer 720 ranking points. In total for the 2010 US hard-court season, Federer must defend 2,320 points.

The only substantial way Federer can gain or surpass Nadal for the No. 2 spot is by winning the US Open and not losing any points in Montreal and Cincinnati. That would allow the Swiss to gain 1,280 points at the US Open, but it would also deny Nadal repeating as champion and he would lose at least 800 points. In this scenario, Nadal would fall to No. 3 and Federer would rise to No. 2.

The Swiss cannot surpass Djokovic in this brief time span; there is a very narrow window for Federer to retake the No. 2 spot.
 

Andy Murray: Swimming the Vast Channel

World No. 4, Andy Murray, has fallen behind Djokovic by 6,450 points; he is 4,565 points behind World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. There is no way Murray can catch either of these Top Two—at least in the short term. 

Murray, however, trails World No. 3 Federer by 2,825. It should be the Scot’s first priority to overtake the Swiss as the two move in earnest into the US hard-court season. At this point, the Scot has a weak shot at overtaking Federer as World No. 3.

During the US hard-court season in 2010, Murray participated in the Farmer’s Classic in Los Angeles, where he lost in the finals to Sam Querry. Murray forfeited 150 points because the Scot chose not to compete in LA this summer. 

Murray went on to win the 2010 ATP Masters in Toronto, defeating Federer in the final. That added 1,000 points to his ranking total. During August of 2010 in Cincinnati, Murray lost to American Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals and was awarded an additional 180 ranking points.

At the US Open, Murray lost early, going out in the third round to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, earning only 90 points for his short-circuited effort. For Murray, that means that altogether he has only 1,420 points to defend during the 2011 US hard-court season.

By winning the 2011 US Open, Murray would re-coup 1,910 points. Federer may still maintain a lead of 765 points should that happen, even if the Scot wins it all in New York City.

But Murray could add to his ranking points considerably by doing well during the American hard-court season, bringing him closer to the Top Three players and better able to take advantage in 2012.
 

The Final Tally

The ability for any player to overtake Djokovic as World No. 1 will not really materialize until 2012, when Djokovic will be forced to defend his current seven-month 48-1 winning record. Only when the Serb is forced to defend the ranking points won during this remarkable run will any other player be able overtake Djokovic.

In the meantime, the other Top Three players wait, biding their time, hoping for a crack in the Serbian armor as Djokovic stands atop the mountain with a bulls-eye on his back.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

While a few venues cling nostalgically to the red clay, most players are dusting off their hard-court shoes, ready to do battle on the tour’s most debilitating surface for the remainder of the 2011 calendar. 

The action really got underway this week in Atlanta for the men. Next week, however, the season  moves to Los Angeles for the men and Stanford for the ladies.

The players will make their way toward the US Open in New York at the end of August, crowning a champion in September. 

It is the last major tournament of the season played largely under lights at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.  The event is loud, flashy and filled with drama in direct contrast to the sedate major tournament just concluded at the All England Club. 

For the men, the battle at the top of the men’s game continues. Defending champion Rafael Nadal will attempt to recapture the US Open title and finally defeat the new world No. 1 Novak Djokovic this year.

The Serb has lost only once in all of 2011. 

Roger Federer waits patiently for one of both men to falter as his quest to win slam No. 17 continues. 

Andy Murray remains fixed on winning his first major, just has he has the past five years. 

For the ladies, once again, it is the “old” versus the “young” as seasoned professionals like the Williams sisters and Kim Clijsters fight their way back into top form while new-comers Petra Kvitova, Sabine Lisicki and Caroline Wozniacki hope to capture the title. 

The women’s field is wide open once again.

Included in the major storylines surrounding this tournament are these predictions for the future unfolding at the US Open.

Begin Slideshow

Still the debate rages on endlessly.

It is rather like saying Johnny Mathis was the greatest singer ever or Cole Porter was the greatest American composer or Don Drysdale was the best pitcher ever to take the mound. 

You might, however, be safe in pronouncing that the music group The Beatles have sold the most albums or that “Thriller” by Michael Jackson was the single largest selling album in the music industry’s history–according to most record-keeping sources. Few would disagree with the numbers.

The main problem with these debates remains that no one agrees on what being the “greatest” means regardless of whether you croon, compose or strike a ball.

So, how can we anoint a king without a prescribed royal resume? 

What criteria should be considered? The answer must lie in the statistics––those records that have been kept, making them marks that the tennis community agrees are worthwhile. 

 

Being Ranked No. 1:  GOAT Minimum Standard of 200 Weeks, Consecutive Weeks, 156.

There is no more obvious sign that you are the very best than achieving the rank of the No. 1 player in the world. To date there are four men who have spent more than 200 weeks in that position, Pete Sampras (286), Roger Federer (285), Ivan Lendl (270), and Jimmy Connors (268).

There are three men who have had at least 156 consecutive weeks at No. 1, Roger Federer (237), Jimmy Connors (160) and Ivan Lendl (157).

In today's game there is a fascinating potential changing of the guard. The outcome may represent a compelling change in fortune for Rafael Nadal. The Majorcan's window of dominance at the top of the men’s game may or may not be closing.

After three years of chasing Federer, Nadal closed the gap and surpassed the great Swiss in 2008. Losing the top spot to Federer again in 2009, Nadal came back strong in 2010, bumping the Swiss off again after Federer had accumulated 285 weeks at No. 1, only one week behind all-time leader Pete Sampras at 286.

After a recent consecutive 56-week stint at No. 1 (102 weeks in total), Nadal has been surpassed by the new World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who does not seem ready to give up his new found fame and fortune.

It seems that after three years of learning how to defeat Federer on surfaces other than clay, Nadal has not kept pace with the man chasing him down, the Serb Djokovic.

Ironically (and we live for those moments) the only man who has defeated the superlative Djokovic in 2011 and the last man to defeat him in 2010 was former world No. 1 Roger Federer. 

Winning Grand Slam Tournaments: GOAT Minimum Standards 14, Plus 1 Career Grand Slam

On August 8, 2011, Roger Federer will turn thirty. It appears to those of us who have followed his career that he has been around forever. But in reality, the Swiss has been on the scene a little over a decade.

The first time the world paid attention to Federer was when he met Pete Sampras in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001, upsetting the invincible Sampras in five sets. 

It still took the Swiss until 2003 to win his first major at Wimbledon. Federer assumed the No. 1 ranking early in 2004, never relinquishing it until Nadal swept it away in 2008. 

Roger Federer became the only player in the modern era to win his first seven grand slam finals:  Wimbledon 2003, Australian 2004, Wimbledon 2004, U.S. Open 2004, Wimbledon 2005, U.S. Open 2005 and Australian 2006. 

Rafael Nadal ended Federer’s finals streak at the French Open in 2006 by defeating him 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6.

Federer is one of seven men to have captured a career grand slam by winning a slam title in each of the major venues––Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. Rafael Nadal also joined this group by winning the U.S. Open in 2010.  Others are Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi. 

Federer is the only male player in tennis history to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year three different times in his career. In 2004, 2006, and 2007 Federer won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

When Rafael Nadal won the 2010 U.S. Open, he captured three slam titles in one year––once.  Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Mats Wilander have also captured three slam titles in one year once.

Of course, Laver made it one better, winning a calendar year slam (all four grand slam titles) twice in his long illustrious career.

If Djokovic wins the U.S. Open in 2011, he will join this very exclusive group by winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in one calendar year. But, of course, he still must accomplish the win against major opposition. Few, however, will bet against the Serb accomplishing this.

 

Winning the ATP Year-End Championship: Goat Minimum Three World Titles

At the end of each calendar year, the eight men who have gained the most points on the ATP tour meet at a year-end tournament.

It is a highly prestigious event where the men compete in a round-robin format to crown a winner. It goes without saying that these are the eight best men in the game!

They divide into two groups of four and compete against each other to determine a winner out of each group. The top four men advance to the semifinals with the two semifinal winners advancing to the championship. 

The tournament has been called ATP World Tour Finals, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Tour World Championships or the Masters Grand Prix. The points awarded the champion (1,500) are second only to winning a grand slam tournament (2,000). 

In the modern era with the inception of the ATP, six men have won three or more ATP Year-End Championships.

Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras have won the title five times. Ilie Nastase won the championship four times while Boris Becker and John McEnroe have won the title three times during their careers.

Other active players who have won the title are Lleyton Hewitt who won it twice and Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, and David Nalbandian who have won it once.

The Goat Debate Narrowed:

In summary, the supposed “GOAT” should have been ranked No. 1 at least 200 weeks, with 156 weeks (3 years) consecutively. He should have won at least 14 grand slam titles and hold a career grand slam.  He should also have won the ATP Year-End Championship at least three times. 

These statistics will survive the test of time making them the minimum requirements to get into the discussion. 

The U.S. Open Preview

Speaking of future GOAT discussions, who do you suppose Djokovic would sooner meet in the finals of the U.S. Open, assuming he gets that far––Nadal, whom he has beaten in five straight finals or Roger Federer who defeated him in the French Open semifinals?

Well, of course, Djokovic defeated Federer during the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open and then later in the Dubai finals.

Probably, the Serb has no preference except that his wins over the former No. 1 ranked player, Nadal, were very special to Djokovic and his team.

A word in parting, lest we forget the man from Argentina––Juan Martin del Potro––who promises to be back in tip-top form for the U.S. Open. He won the title in 2009, refusing to step aside and give Federer six consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows.

It may be very interesting to see how the big serving Canadian Milos Raonic and the powerful del Potro will impact this year’s U.S. Open.

About a month to go until we see them in action. Stay tuned...

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

Considering the players who captured headlines and the attention of tennis pundits during the second week of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, you quickly surmised that the usual suspects were missing in action.

Gone was defending champion Serena Williams, who had held the Rosewater Dish aloft four times, hoping that 2011 would bring her five.

Another Wimbledon win would tie Serena with her older sister Venus Williams, who had won the All England Club Championship five times. Venus was also no longer in the house.

Absent, too, were French Open champion Li Na, who lost in the second round in a fierce contest as well as the No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who failed again to make the Wimbledon quarterfinals.  

No. 2-ranked Kim Clijsters never checked in for Championships, still sidelined with an ankle injury.

That left the field wide open for a newly invigorated Maria Sharapova, the wide-eyed power game of German Sabine Lisicki, the finely honed game of Victoria Azarkena and the excellent grass-court assault of Petra Kvitova. It was a worthy fortnight—an ultimate contrast in competence and mental fortitude.

The "Power Rankings" are compiled and presented by JA Allen, Marianne Bevis and Feng Rong using these criteria. We present the periodic rankings at least four times a year. Check out Marianne's latest entry on the new men's power ranking here.

Following are the latest top 10 in our women's tennis power rankings as determined at the conclusion of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships in London.

Begin Slideshow

We will provide play-by-play starting shortly before the match begins between the No. 5 seed, Russian Maria Sharapova, and the No. 7 seed, Czech Petra Kvitova.

It promises to be a very exciting match.

NBC will provide television coverage, live—no tape delay this time.

This year the All England Club is celebrating 125 years of tennis excellence. The Championship was first held in 1877, but that event was only for the men.

The first women’s champion, Maud Watson, was crowned in 1884, seven years after the first men's champion had his name etched in the history books.

Both Sharapova and Kvitova are baseliners with big serves and powerful forehands. The outcome will depend on Sharapova’s ability to keep her first-serve percentage high. The Russian must serve well to have a chance to win her second Wimbledon title.

For Kvitova, who moves far better than the Russian and serves equally well, the ability of the Czech to hold her nerve will be paramount. If she allows doubt to creep into her game, Sharapova will pounce.

It is a big moment for both ladies. The will to win the match must go to Sharapova while the overall quality of play goes to Kvitova.

Stay tuned on Saturday morning for the play-by-play.

First set goes to Kvitova 6-3.

The second set also goes to Kvitova 6-4. 

Petra Kvitova wins in straight sets capturing her first grand slam championship and her first Wimbledon title.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com