The new season is getting under way and I want to give you guys a short preview and also make a few predictions for the upcoming season. I believe this season is going to be very exciting on the men’s and the women’s side!
The Men’s Game
Everyone is curious to see whether or not Novak Djokovic can continue to play Tennis at the incredible level that he played at in 2011. Roger Federer seems to be hungry for more Grand Slam titles. There are some question marks about Rafael Nadal in regards to his health and motivation but being the competitor that he is I am sure he will find his form in 2012 as well!
Novak Djokovic started the season off strong with a victory at the Abu Dhabi invitational tournament!
(Photo: AP)
Let’s have a quick look at the Top 3 players and where they stand!
The Top 3
Novak Djokovic
Before getting tired and slightly injured, Djokovic completely dominated the men’s game last year! His game was at a phenomenal level and players had no clue what to do against him because there was simply no weakness.
At the end of the season though, Djokovic was pretty tired and had a few nagging injuries. It will be interesting to see how well he has recovered! If his body is close to 100%, I don’t see a reason why he shouldn’t continue to play at the highest level!
Prediction: Unless Djokovic gets injured I believe he will play another very strong season and I see him winning two or more Grand Slam titles!
Rafael Nadal
There are some question marks when it comes to Nadal’s health and form. He already said that he is going to take time off after the Australian Open to heal his shoulder and he seemed pretty worn out at the end of the last season.
Nevertheless, I’ve seen some of his play so far this year and he looks pretty strong and healthy to me. I think it is really tough to predict what kind of a year he will have though!
Have A Look At Nadal vs. Federer In Abu Dhabi!
Nadal once again got the better off Roger Federer in this match and from the highlights it seems like he was dictating as usual with his heavy topspin forehand to Federer’s backhand.
Prediction: I don’t see him as a favourite to win the Australian Open but I am sure he will be back in form for the French Open and to me he is the favourite once again to win that tournament. I see him winning one or maybe two majors this year!
If you haven’t done it yet, check out my in-depth analysis of the Federer Nadal Rivalry!
Roger Federer
Federer played incredible Tennis at the end of last season. He ended the year with a 17 match winning streak, including the year-end championship in London. Throughout that stretch Federer served incredibly well and his forehand was also going strong.
Nevertheless, Fed had some real problems with his one-handed backhand. He mishit a lot of balls and ran around a lot to hit as many forehands as possible. The indoor courts generally favour his game and when he is hitting serves and forehands that well he does not have to hit that many backhands, especially since he also hits a lot of slice backhands.
His coach, Paul Annacone, is not someone that is known for tinkering with a players technique. His focus seems to be more on the tactical side of things. If this is the case and Federer’s backhand is shaky then he will have a really hard time playing against either Djokovic or Nadal!
Prediction: I see Federer playing a solid 2012 season with a good shot at winning a major but probably no more
The Rest Of The Field
I would be surprised if anybody outside the Top3 would win a Grand Slam this year! Andy Murray has phases where he plays really well but he has not shown that he can play aggressive enough when it really matters and that’s what it takes to win majors!
Nevertheless let’s have a quick look at some interesting players to watch this year:
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
We all know that Tsonga has a huge game and can beat anybody on any given day. It seems like he might be maturing a little bit and I expect him to play a strong 2012 season, possibly reaching the semifinals of some Grand Slam tournaments!
Tsonga Can Hit Winners From Any Situation!
Check Out This Inredible Backhand!
Mardy Fish
I expect Mardy to continue with his strong form. He has the game and now also the maturity to consistently stay in the Top10 and mix it up with the top players!
Juan-Martin Del Potro
Del Potro is back to number 11 in the world and when he is healthy and in form he is a serious contender for Grand Slam titles. I think he will get close to the Top5 again this year unless he gets injured!
Andy Roddick
Andy is ranked number 14 in the world right now and I believe it is going to be very hard for him to get back into the Top10. His backhand is simply too weak and he does not hit his forehand big enough anymore. I think he will decline a bit further this year!
Bernard Tomic
The upcoming Australian has an unusual game that can bother even the best players in the world. He is currently ranked 42 in the world and I believe he will continue to climb this year and get at least inside the Top20!
There are of course many more interesting players but I simply picked out a few that I thought are worth mentioning!
The Women’s Game
In contrast to the men’s game, the women’s game seems wide open once again. It is really tough to predict who will come out in strong form and who will win the majors. Nevertheless, I will of course take a shot at it anyways!
The two players that I expect to do really well in 2012 are Petra Kvitova and Sam Stosur. Both of them have incredible weapons and tasted success in 2011
Since the field is so open though and there are many players that could do well this year, I will simply have a quick look at some of the most prominent players as well as a few upcoming players!
Petra Kvitova
Kvitova’s game is just phenomenal. She is a lefty with a big serve and overall huge weapons. I think it took her quite a bit of time to realize how good she actually is; especially since she was not a phenomenal junior player!
Now she probably has the confidence and belief to consistently play at a very high level, which means trouble for all the other girls on the WTA Tour!
Petra Kvitova
Possibly The Star Of The 2012 Season ?
Prediction: I see Kvitova winning at least one Grand Slam title this year, possibly more!
Click the following link for my in-depth game analysis of Petra Kvitova!
Sam Stosur
Stosur has been a player with huge potential for quite a while. She had her breakthrough at the 2011 US Open where she dominated with huge serves and forehands! I think she has the best kick serve and the most dangerous forehand in the women’s game right now!
Stosur Winning The US Open With One Of Her Huge Forehands!
At times in her career, it appeared like Stosur might be lacking confidence or mental toughness in general but I am sure the US Open triumph gave her a lot of confidence and I expect her to do really well in 2012!
Prediction: I believe Stosur’s chances of winning another Grand Slam title this year are pretty good!
Click the following link for my in-depth game analysis of Sam Stosur
Serena Williams
Serena in good form is still always one of the favourites at any Grand Slam in my opinion. Nevertheless, the competition is getting better and girls like Petra Kvitova and Sam Stosur have big games as well and with the recent success now probably also have the confidence to win against Serena late in a Grand Slam tournament!
Prediction: It is really tough to judge whether or not Serena is preparing hard and is hungry enough to win more majors. My guess is that she will prepare hard and show up in good form for at least 1 or 2 majors this year!
Kim Clijsters
Kim is coming back from some time off once again and it is tough to say how well she is going to play. In top form she can always contend for Grand Slam titles!
Maria Sharapova
Maria has been working hard on her game and showed good progress last year. In order to win another Grand Slam she needs to get her serving troubles under control though!
Sharapova has a slight stop in her motion and therefore the whole motion is not really fluid and her rhythm is not very good. She starts off fast and then slows down in order to speed up again towards contact. This is not a very good rhythm to have!
Have a look at the first serve she hits in this youtube video
Can you see the slight stop and the lack of fluidity ?
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline is currently ranked number 1 in the world and has spend quite a bit of time at that spot by now! Nevertheless, she has not been able to show her best Tennis when it really matters at the Grand Slams and I remain skeptical about her chances, since she relies too much on consistency and does not seem to be able to play offensive enough!
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine has huge potential, which she showed last year by getting to the Wimbledon semi-finals last year. I think she has to get just a bit stronger on the mental side and then she is definitely a solid Top10 player!
Andrea Petkovic
Andrea is another German player on the rise. She is known for her hard work ethic, which has taken her all the way to number 10 in the world. I expect her to continue improving slowly but surely!
All right. That was it for my 2012 Preview and Predictions. I hope you enjoyed it and are as excited about the upcoming season as I am!
