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2011 Year in Review

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The great thing about tennis is its unpredictable nature, but since Roger Federer lifted his first Wimbledon trophy in 2003 the game has been dominated by a select few.

Exactly one year ago, there was no reason to think that would change. Rafael Nadal won three Grand Slam titles in 2012 and he had a firm grasp of the No. 1 ranking; certainly, all signs pointed to a continuation of that dominance.

Looking back, who would have predicted 2011 would have turned out the way it did?

The rise of Novak Djokovic has added a considerable amount of excitement to men’s tennis, and we’ve been treated to many scintillating matches between the Serb, Federer and Nadal.

We’ve also seen the continued emergence of 29-year-old Mardy Fish, who finished the year inside of the top 10 for the first time in his career. Janko Tipsarevic and Alex Bogomolov Jr., other players in their late 20’s, enjoyed career-best years as well.

And the surprises weren’t limited to just the men. Li Na’s surprise run to the Australian Open final was a preview of her future success at Roland Garros, where she became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam tournament.

That bombshell was followed by the tall and unassuming Petra Kvitova’s triumph at Wimbledon. On the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and

Croquet Club, Kvitova blasted her way through the competition to win the title.

If that wasn’t enough, Australia’s Samantha Stosur thoroughly dismantled Serena Williams in the US Open final.

This year, new records were set, new Grand Slam champions crowned and the emergence of some compelling young talent. Read on to see our picks of the best male and female player of the year, as well as a look at how Djokovic has beaten Nadal this year.

Towards the end of this digital issue, we also examine seven of the top young players to watch out for in 2012.

With that out of the way, indulge me a moment to pass on my gratitude to all of the great people we’ve worked with this year.

First, I would like to recognize our contributing photographers. Natasha Peterson, Tony Chang and Andrezj Kentla. All of you do magnificent work that takes our publication to new heights.

Many thanks should also go to our page designers, who have shown time after time they can create great work under tight deadlines.

Finally, I want to thank you, the reader. Your interest and passion for the sport and its players makes our job feel both necessary and fulfilling, and we hope you enjoy this magazine.

Letter from the Editor

James WatersonEditor, Tennis Now Magazine

TOP 5 MATCHESOF THE YEAR

p.6MALE PLAYEROF THE YEAR

p.10–11

FEMALE PLAYEROF THE YEAR

p.12-13

HONORABLEMENTIONS

p.14-15

ANATOMYOF A RIVALRY

p.16-18

KVITOVA BEATS THE BEST IN ISTANBUL

p.20FEDERER FINISHES

STRONG IN LONDONp.21

CZECH FED CUPDELIGHTp.22-23

SPAIN WINS THE DAVIS CUP

p.24

7 YOUNG PLAYERSTO WATCH FOR

p.25-28

WHAT’S INSIDE

EditorJames Waterson jamesw@tennisnow.com

PhotographyAndy KentlaNatasha Peterson/CorleveGetty Images

WritersNick GeorgandisRobert MartinAnn Stark Dennis Bray

Design Juan EsparzaAlberto Capetillo Nick Georgandis

Tennis Now200 West 39th Street, Suite No. 11New York, NY 10018914-595-4211

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TOP 5 MATCHES OF 2011Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 US Open Final

It was the match that perfectly summarized the year. Djokovic extended his winning streak to six matches against Nadal in what was a brutal battle between the game’s two best players.

Roger Federer d. Novak Djokovic7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) French Open Semifinal

In Paris, Federer avenged his loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinal and ended the Serb’s 43-match winning streak. The result also delayed Djokovic’s ascension to the No. 1 ranking for several weeks.

Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 US Open Semifinal

After the first two sets, it seemed as if Federer would once again spoil Djokovic’s Grand Slam success. But the man from Belgrade clawed his way back into the match and saved two match points en route to what was one of his most important wins of the year.

Samantha Stosur d. Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-7 (15), 6-3 US Open Fourth Round

The first and third sets were fairly unremarkable, but the second set saw the longest tiebreaker in women’s Grand Slam history. Both women hit outstanding shots in the tiebreaker, and Kirilenko had to use video review three times to overrule calls that went against her.

Sabine Lisicki d. Li Na3-6, 6-4, 8-6 Wimbledon Second Round

Lisicki took down Li, the French Open champion, in a nearly three-hour marathon that saw China’s No. 1 squander two match points. Lisicki was the feel good story of the tournament, as she was on her way back from an ankle injury that saw her ranking drop below No. 200.

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2011 YEAR END REVIEW

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2011 YEAR END REVIEW

MalePlayer

ofthe

Year

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Before this year, Novak Djokovic had long played second fiddle to the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

dominance of men’s professional tennis. Occasionally, Djokovic would beat the other two players, but when they contest-ed major titles he usually finished second best.

The turning point may have come when he beat Federer in the 2010 US Open semifinal, which he followed up with helping his country win the Davis Cup for the first time.

That was the springboard for a run of victories that just wouldn’t end. The Serb beat Federer and Andy Murray en route to claiming his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and he went on to beat the Swiss again to win in Dubai.

Although it was obvious there was something different about Djokovic, he had yet to face Nadal, his long-time nem-esis. They finally faced off in the final in Indian Wells and the result may have been the most important of the year for the Serb. He came back from one set down to beat Nadal for the first time in a final, and that was followed by more wins against the Spaniard in Miami and on the clay in Madrid and Rome.

Djokovic was favorite going into the French Open, but he was stunned by Federer in the semifinal. The loss ended a 43-match winning streak and stalled his big for supplanting Nadal as the World No. 1, which could ended Djokovic’s ironclad play.

But he bounced back with aplomb by beating Nadal in the Wimbledon final, which proved that the Serb was not just a flash in the pan. It also displayed his new-found mental strength, which has been one of the keys to his success this year.

After a long break, Djokovic won the Rogers Cup and reached the final in Cincin-nati before having to retire because of a shoulder injury. Despite doubts about his

physical condition, he once again reached the US Open semifinal, where he met Federer.

Federer claimed the first two sets and he seemed poised to repeat his perfor-mance from the French Open, but Djokov-ic battled his way back into the match and forced a fifth set. Yet he fell behind a break of serve and faced two match points at 3-5. He saved the first with a stunning crosscourt forehand return winner. That propelled him to break Federer’s serve and win the next three games to close out the match.

In the final, he faced off against Nadal once again. In what was a brutally physical showdown, Djokovic outplayed his nem-esis to claim his first US Open title and the third of the year.

The win made him the sixth player to win three Grand Slam titles in a calendar year, an achievement shared by Federer, Nadal, Jimmy Connors, Rod Laver and Mats Wilander. Much has been made of his improved mental strength, but another important aspect of Djokovic’s ascension is his fitness.

Last winter, he switched to a gluten-free diet, and that has played a part in his increase in stamina on the court. Against Nadal, that enables him to play higher per-centage shots because he knows he can handle a long match against the Spaniard. He also improved his forehand and his serve, which has given him more weapons to bring to a match.

Unfortunately for the Serb, he has struggled with injury since he won the US Open. Yet, with some rest, he will be a strong favorite to win his third Australian Open title next year. The first few months of next year will be critical to Djokovic holding on to his top spot, as he has many points to defend. But with all he’s ac-complished this year, there’s no reason to expect anything less from the 24 year old from Belgrade.

NOVAK DJOKOVICMalePlayer

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T he 2011 season was marked by three players that captured their first Grand Slam title, only to spend

significant portions of the season strug-gling to find the same success. While all three made magical runs and overcame adversity in their pursuit of tennis history, one player stood out above her contempo-raries for WTA Player of the Year honors.

That player was Petra Kvitova, who took home major wins at Wimbledon and the WTA Championships in Istanbul. She also provided an incredible amount of sup-port in the Czech Republic’s first ever Fed Cup title since becoming an independent nation in 1993.

After her surprise run to the Wimble-don semifinal last year, Kvitova entered the 2011 season ranked No. 34, and started off the year quickly, winning the title in Brisbane before falling in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open to World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva. Weeks later, Kvitova easily swept aside quality opponents in Daniela Hantuchova and Dominika Cibulkova to help the Czech Republic elminate the Slo-vak Republic to advance in the Fed Cup.

Her second title of the year followed in Paris where she swept Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters in straight sets in the final. Kvitova then moved to the outdoor courts of Dubai, signaling the start of trouble where she would go 1-4 leading into the next Fed Cup tie against Belgium.

Moved back indoors, Kvitova would find her game again, battling past Yanina Wickmayer to set up the decisive doubles rubber which the Czech team won.

The big-hitting Kvitova’s game wasn’t derailed by the transition to clay, as she won her third title of the year in Madrid, besting three top 10 players along the way.

Her efforts at Roland Garros were cut short by eventual champion Li Na in a three-set loss in the fourth round, though. Next up was a return to the grass courts, the surface that brought attention to her

potential. She reached the final in East-bourne before losing a close three-set match to Marion Bartoli.

Despite the loss, Kvitova still entered Wimbledon with an impressive 36-9 record and was considered one of the top con-tenders to repeat her past success. She did not disappoint, advancing to the quarter-finals with little resistance before navigat-ing past Tsvetana Pironkova, a two-time vanquisher of Venus Williams on the grass.

Two victories later over Victoria Aza-renka and Maria Sharapova, Kvitova was the new Wimbledon champion and second first-time Grand Slam winner of the year. The obligations of a champion took their toll on Kvitova as she moved into the North American swing, going 5-5 including an opening round loss at the US Open.

With only a few weeks until the WTA Championships, there were doubts whether Kvitova would make a serious impact at the year-end event. But she won another title in Linz, which surely boosted her confidence going into the WTA Cham-pionships.

Although she experienced rough patches in Istanbul, her aggressive game paid off with another title and the World No. 2 ranking.

There was little time to rest for the Czech, as she still had one last mission to complete in bringing home the Fed Cup. A trip to Moscow and two more wins in singles helped to give the Czech doubles team the opportunity to clinch victory in the final rubber of the event.

Winning over $5 million in prize money and six titles over the 2011 season, Kvitova not only was awarded Player of the Year, but also the Karen Krantzcke Sportsman-ship, Fan Favorite Breakthrough Player, and Most Improved Player awards from the WTA. When asked to reflect on her season, Kvitova could only say, “This season has been simply a dream.”

PETRA KVITOVA FemalePlayeroftheYear

FemalePlayeroftheYear

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Peng ShuaiMost Improved Player

While it’s impossible to argue the marked improvement of Petra Kvitova in the 2011 season, there was another player that made incredible leaps over her injury plagued 2010 season. Peng Shuai missed two Grand Slam events due to the injury and held a 20-13 record last year.

Coming into the year, Peng had only made the third round of a Grand Slam twice in her career, but made the fourth round in three events in 2011. She also moved up 55 spots in the year-end rankings being able to play a full schedule and amassing a 53-21 record.

Sabine LisickiCome Back Player

It’s difficult to imagine that at the age of 20, there were questions about whether or not Sabine Lisicki would be able to play tennis at the same level that took her to World No. 23 to end the 2009 season. A major ankle injury sustained by the German in 2010 resulted in her failing to compete both at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, contributing to her rapid fall in the rankings to No. 179 at the end of the year.

It was a long road back for Lisicki, who would drop as low as No. 218 before surging up the rankings to a career high of World No. 15 thanks to titles in Birmingham and Dallas along with semifinal run at Wimbledon.

HonorableMentions

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Juan Martin del PotroComeback Player of the Year

A former Grand Slam champion that had plummeted down to No. 485 in the rankings one month into the season after missing almost all of 2010 with a major wrist injury, Juan Martin del Potro rocketed back up the rankings, improving 434 spots in six weeks. This came on the heels of reaching the semifinal round or better in four straight tournaments.

After winning a second title in Estoril, he would struggle before a late season surge that would move him to World No. 11, narrowly missing qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Once ranked as high as No. 4, the Argentine reminded everyone why he’s dangerous, and at the age of 23, expect him to be as long as he stays healthy.

Janko TipsarevicMost Improved Player

An eight-year veteran of the ATP Tour, Janko Tipsarevic made incredible improvements during the 2011 season, finding a new level of dedication that would elevate him above the status of enigmatic threat. Having previously never ranked above No. 33, Tipsarevic entered the 2011 season at No. 49 following participation in Serbia’s first Davis Cup victory.

It was not until October that he would win his first career title in Malaysia, which he would back up with another win in Moscow three weeks later. Earning a spot as the first alternate at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Tipsarevic ended his year with a victory over compatriot and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

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T here’s no doubt Djokovic has had one of the best years in Open Era history. Although he’s certainly

improved his play this year, the key to his success has been his mastery over Rafael Nadal, who won three Grand Slam titles in 2010.

Before 2011, Djokovic had won only seven of his 23 matches against Nadal. By the end of the year, he’d beaten him in six finals, including at Wimbledon and the US Open, and he’d supplanted him as the World No. 1.

There aren’t many people who have winning streaks against Nadal. In fact, Djokovic is only the second player who has beaten the Spaniard more than three times in a row. Russia’s Nikolay Davyden-ko was the first. He won his fourth match in a row against Nadal in Doha earlier this year.

James Blake, Tomas Berdych, Lleyton Hewitt and Gaston Gaudio have defeated Nadal three times in a row, but all of their wins came early in Nadal’s career, and with the exception of Gaudio, on

hard courts.Since he’s been at the top of the

rankings, Nadal has dominated his fel-low top 10 players. He has a 17-9 record against Roger Federer, 13-5 against Andy Murray and 6-2 against Robin Soderling.

Of the top 10, Djokovic is the closest to being even with Nadal, but he still has a 13-16 record against him. That includes the Serb’s six wins from this year, indicat-ing that until recently their match-up was just as one-sided as the others.

How did Djokovic turn it around? His gluten-free diet and improved level of fitness certainly factored into the equa-tion, but there’s more to it.

Some of Djokovic’s strengths play well off of Nadal’s preferred pattern of play, and the Serb has become much sav-vier at taking advantage of the openings the Spaniard gives him.

Below I will discuss what he brings to the table and why he’s been able to succeed against an opponent that has consistently beaten everyone else this year.

2011 Match Results

Indian Wells (Hard)4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Miami (Hard)4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)

Madrid (Clay)7-5, 6-4

Rome (Clay)6-4, 6-4

Wimbledon (Grass)6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3

US Open (Hard)6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1

by James Watersonjamesw@tennisnow.com

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The Two-Handed BackhandFor anyone who plays against Nadal

(assuming they’re right handed), it’s criti-cal they can attack and defend with their backhand because of the Spaniard’s ability to hit heavily spun crosscourt forehands to that side.

Fortunately for Djokovic, his backhand has always been one of his main strengths. He is capable of hitting with great consis-tency, depth and precision, and he can strike down the line and angled cross court winners from seemingly defensive positions.

Nadal likes to build points by mov-ing his opponents laterally until he gets a short ball. While that works against almost everyone else, Djokovic can run everything down and, particularly on the backhand, hit deep shots that Nadal can’t attack.

This happened numerous times in the Wimbledon final. Nadal would hit a shot to Djokovic’s backhand after having him on the run and then step inside the baseline, anticipating a short response. What he

got instead was a ball at his feet, and al-though he still got the shot back it enabled Djokovic to turn the point around.

Another key element is the Serb’s ability to direct his crosscourt backhands wide enough to make Nadal scramble. In a neutral rally, he sets the shot up by hit-ting short-angled crosscourt forehands to Nadal’s backhand.

The idea is to tempt the Spaniard to hit down the line, giving Djokovic a chance to hit into the open court with the shot he excels with the most. If Nadal is able to get that shot back and crosscourt, Djokovic can direct his next backhand down the line to apply even more pressure.

Even when Nadal runs around his back-hand to hit a crosscourt forehand, he does himself no favors because he opens up the court to the Serb’s backhand.

This style of play wouldn’t work if Djokovic didn’t have the endurance, speed or consistency to keep up with Nadal. In the past, he’s fallen short of the mark on all three of those, but this year things have changed.

Fitness and DefenseIt’s no secret Djokovic has worked hard

on his fitness, and his new diet has en-abled him to lose some weight. He’s even said that he feels faster around the court and it’s obvious he has the confidence in his fitness to go the distance with anyone.

Against Nadal, that helps him tremen-dously because he doesn’t feel like he has to go for broke. This enables him to hit higher percentage shots and be more patient in setting up the point, as opposed to many of the other players who feel they have to play first-strike tennis against the World No. 2.

For example, in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic hit 12 unforced errors, three fewer than Nadal. Not a huge difference, until you consider that until that match Nadal had far fewer errors than any of his previous opponents.The Serb also had more winners than Nadal, although both still had less than 30.

That number is particularly low for Nadal because he hit an average of 40 winners per match leading up to the final.

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The difference illustrates Djokovic’s ability to return many of Nadal’s shots, which puts the Spaniard under the same kind of pressure he puts on many of his opponents. Because he can match Nadal’s physicality, he has the luxury of playing higher percentage tennis.

This has translated into a number of errors in critical moments this year. In the end, the Serb’s ability to scramble and defend has made Nadal look, dare I say, human?

Mental StrengthNadal is a relentless competitor, and

he’s shown time after time that if you give him even a half chance, he’ll find a way to turn that into a win. Even down a sizable deficit against any of the game’s top play-ers, Nadal seems to find a way to seize the momentum and turn it around.

A good example of this is his Wimble-

don semifinal match against Andy Murray. Murray won the first set 7-5 and missed a short forehand that would have given him two break points at 2-2, and Nadal found a way to hold and that momentum carried him to winning the next seven games.

Djokovic doesn’t let a potential oppor-tunity distract him from the task at hand, and he doesn’t get discouraged.

An example of this is in their first final of the year at Indian Wells. Although he lost the first set, Djokovic played his way to a 4-2 lead in the second. Nadal played a series of outstanding points to break back, but instead of getting down on himself, Djokovic found a way to break back and serve out the set.

Djokovic understands that Nadal is capable of hitting shots that no one else can, but the Serb goes back to playing the match he knows he needs to.

Djokovic has improved all parts of his

game, but the improvement of these parts of his game has made him more than a match for Nadal.

After the Wimbledon final, Nadal said “We can analyze that my game is not bothering him … We have to find how I can bother him. I did in the past. He’s in the best moment of his career. I am in one of the best moments of my career, but still not enough for him.”

Although Nadal seems down and out, it’s important to remember he is a tough competitor and he certainly won’t back down from the challenge Djokovic repre-sents.

Yet he’ll have to find a way to outplay his rival if he wants to pick up more silver-ware next year. With both men improving their games, we should see some excellent tennis in 2012.

19

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20

A test between the best eight players of the season, the 2011 WTA Championships brought an intriguing and exciting tournament to the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

While three players won their first Grand Slam during the regular season, the success of the WTA was truly defined by the success of the year-end event.

In previous years the stands at the WTA Championships would be scarcely inhabited, but Istanbul raised the bar with nearly 71,000 fans attending throughout the tournament, filling the stadium to capacity. In addition, the tournament boasted record broadcast and digital audience viewership.

All of this was done without names like Serena and Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters, which showed the newfound global reach for the WTA. The two favorites heading into the tournament, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, proved why as they headed towards a final clash.

Despite both playing well, it was the bottled nuclear power of Kvitova that would prevail in three sets, securing the No. 2 ranking and adding to her impressive tournament total. Despite coming into the limelight immediately following her victory at Wimbledon, she struggled through the outdoor hard court season and many began to question how she would handle the rigors of a Grand Slam champion.

The win in Istanbul proves not only to her competitors, but also to herself, that there is no denying Kvitova belongs in the upper echelons of the tennis world. With a volatile game dedicated to controlling points with her strong ground strokes, she can experience a lack of consistency that leave the fans questioning her choices.

After beginning the year at No. 34, Kvitova stormed ahead,

culminating in being only 115 points away from the World No. 1 ranking, a spot that many feel should be reserved for Grand Slam champions. The year could not have ended in a better way for the Czech, winning two straight titles and helping to secure the Fed Cup title, but can we expect an even better performance in the upcoming season?

While some players struggle after winning their first major, as the 2011 season saw Li Na go 6-8 after capturing the Roland Garros title, Kvitova ended the year on a 12 match winning streak. With her aggressive style and full of confidence, expect her to remain a dangerous competitor on all surfaces.

With at least one title on each surface, there is no doubt that she possesses the tools, and at the age of 21, plenty of time to make an impact for years to come. Her problems stem from her own strengths though, and that same aggressive, dictating style can be her downfall.

Based on her results, the most important matches in a tournament for Kvitova tend to be the early rounds, where she is susceptible to the upset. Backing up her Wimbledon title with a perfect record at the WTA Championships solidified her place at the top of women’s tennis.

Clijsters and the Williams sisters will undoubtedly return next year to challenge for major titles, but Kvitova is one of the few that can stand toe-to-toe with anyone on tour in terms of power. She may not have the movement of Agnieszka Radwanska, but she does not need it when her game is on and she is firing winners from all parts of the court.

The win in Istanbul guarantees to the rest of the WTA that Kvitova is here to stay as a permanent threat and not a one-slam wonder.

KVITOVAFINISHESSTRONG

Until the beginning of November, Roger Federer had a poor year (by his standards, anyway). The man who reached eight consecutive Grand Slam finals twice before in his

career only found his way to one, the French Open, before the fall. He also lost to Novak Djokovic four times, including in the US Open semifinal after he had two match points, and Rafael Nadal three times.

Federer also missed the Asian swing of tournaments, which enabled Andy Murray to supplant him as the World No. 3. After a nearly six week absence, the Swiss marked his return to the tour with a win at his hometown tournament in Basel. He went on to win his first ever Paris Masters tournament the following week. He wrapped all of that up nicely with an undefeated run to win a record sixth Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Going into the final tournament of the year, the 30-year-old Federer looked fresh and eager to compete. Meanwhile, Djokovic and Murray were struggling with injuries, and Nadal was returning from a lengthy absence of his own.

Still, Federer had a tough group to contend with: Nadal, his long-time nemesis; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat him in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon; and Mardy Fish, who had qualified for the elite event for the first time in his career.

Although Federer looked strong, he had to be on top of his game to advance out of the group. His first opponent was Tsonga, who battled evenly with the Swiss until his final service game in the third set. Several unforced errors, a byproduct of his aggressive play style, gave Federer a break of serve to end the match.

Next up was Nadal, who had won 17 of their 25 matches. Despite the tactical issues the Spaniard presents Federer, the

Swiss had never lost to Nadal on an indoor hard court. That streak continued, as he overwhelmed his foe 6-3, 6-0 in front of a stunned, but overjoyed, London audience.

With the win, Federer became the first man to qualify for the semifinals. That didn’t keep him from taking his final match against Fish seriously, though. Although he played well for the first and third sets, he had a mental hiccup that lead to Fish breaking him in the second set.

David Ferrer was next in the semifinals. The Spaniard finished second in the group after he defeated Murray and Djokovic in straight sets. Federer was highly favored in this encounter, as he’d never lost to Ferrer in their 11 previous matches. There were no surprises in the final result; Federer beat Ferrer 7-5, 6-3.

Finally, only Tsonga stood between Federer and history. He

“GOODTO BEGIN WELL,BETTERTO END WELL”

had to win two sets to exceed Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl as the most prolific champion at the season-ending event. Federer took the first set and broke late in the second to give himself a chance to serve for the match. But four points away from setting yet another record, Federer’s first serve abandoned him and Tsonga broke back.

The Swiss had a 4-2 lead in the tiebreaker later in the set, but once again Tsonga found a way to come back and level the match. In a season that had its fair share of disappointment, it was a wonder Federer maintained his concentration after being so close to winning the title. Yet he did. He served well in the final set and Tsonga eventually lost his focus, which led to Federer serving out the match.

His triumph in London was the ideal end to a rough season. With the win, Federer showed that he still belongs at the top.

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CZECH DELIGHTPetra Kvitova guides the Czech

Republic to their first Fed Cup Title

T he 2011 edition of Fed Cup compe-tition smashed all sense of logic as the Czech Republic not only made

history, but did it against incredibly tough conditions. Buoyed by star and year-end World No. 2 Petra Kvitova, the Czech team won their first Fed Cup title since becom-ing an independent nation following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993.

In this style of team competition, one of the most important advantages that a team can hold is to have the choice of location and surface, a condition that Rus-sia enjoyed throughout the three rounds of competition. The Czech team, on the opposite side, was forced to travel to all three ties, including a first round contest with the Slovak Republic.

Interestingly, all World Group matches were played on hard courts, with only one tie played outdoors, seemingly play-ing well into the strengths of Kvitova and allowing her to capture all six of her matches and the majority of her team’s nine overall wins.

The Russian team used five differ-ent players in singles matches, with Vera Zvonareva and Anastasia Pavlyuchen-kova going a perfect 5-0 while Svetlana Kuznetsova was held to a 3-2 record. The other two singles rubbers were losses attributed to Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko.

Despite being the heavy favorites in the first round, Russia was almost eliminated by France after dropping the first two rubbers before staging an epic comeback to earn a place in the semifi-nal. An important change in the available players for the semifinal match resulted

in a fairly straightforward 5-0 victory over Italy, who had easily defeated Australia in the first round.

The team from the Czech Republic jumped out to a quick start, winning the first three rubbers before dropping the final two dead rubbers against the Slovak Republic A trip to Belgium was full of doubt without Safarova and the resulting split of the singles matches brought about a decisive doubles rubber featuring three players that had already competed in two singles matches during the tie.

Scheduled to take place only one week after the WTA Championships, the Russian team may have hoped for a tired Kvitova in the final, but the Fed Cup stalwart quickly dismissed such hopes with a decisive straight set victory over Kirilenko. The eventual clinching doubles win featured the co-holder of the World No. 2 ranking in doubles and sealed a bit of history for the Czech team.

As for the history of the Fed Cup competition, it began in 1963 as a way to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and has grown to see 90 nations entered into the various levels of competition in 2011.

Originally a modification of an annual team competition that began in 1923 between the United States and Great Britain, the two strongest tennis nations at the time, Fed cup has seen a number of changes over the years, but most importantly support from the top players has rarely been a question. In fact, of the players that ended 2011 in the Top 30, only five did not compete in at least one tie during the year.

23

24

If Davis Cup competition brings out the best in a player, how is it possible for a player as good as Rafael Nadal to be

even better? That’s exactly what happened, as the Spaniard lost only one set over six singles rubbers.

In fact, the Spanish Davis Cup team was nearly flawless in all aspects in the singles rubbers, winning 13 of the 14 that were contested. Despite choosing not to travel to Austin, Texas, for the quarterfinal match against the United States, Nadal was definitely an anchor for the Spanish team.

Even though the World No. 2 had a poor season by his exceptional standards, he was still able to compile a 69-15 record and defend his Roland Garros crown. Seemingly sullen following his elimination from the ATP World Tour Finals, Nadal bounced back thanks to a return to the comforts of clay.

Much has been said regarding the intensity of the schedule that players are required to play, and it is no secret that Nadal’s grinding game takes a larger toll on

his body than some of his competition. As the season came to an end, he

appeared to be suffering. But there was no time for that, as there was much at stake for Spain. If they beat Argentina, they would win their third Davis Cup title in four year.

As if dictated by fate, Nadal was given a gift in the first rubber when Argentina selected Juan Monaco instead of David Nalbandian as their second singles player.

One dominating victory on the Spanish clay and the torrential force of a confident Nadal had returned.

Throughout his career, Nadal has been susceptible on the indoor hard courts that comprise the later stages of the schedule, and this year was no different.

Ending the year on a positive note is exactly what Nadal needed to return next year with a new determination to shake off his recent troubles against Novak Djokovic.

Having played at such a high level for most of his career, he is used to dominating others, as seen by his stellar record over

Roger Federer. But 2011 was marked by the first time that Nadal has ever had to experience a six-match losing streak to a player. Even Federer, one of the greatest players of all time, has never won more than two matches in a row against the Spaniard.

One of Nadal’s greatest strengths has always been his ability to dismiss a loss quickly and rebound, but this year has been the first time that he has appeared to resign in a match before the last point was played. Regardless of this, Davis Cup is an absolute force that takes over some players, allowing them to play beyond their already incredible ability.

This is exactly what has happened to Nadal throughout his career, racking up an astonishing 20-1 record in singles rubbers. After a subpar year by his standards, providing two wins, including the clinching victory over Juan Martin del Potro, was just the win that ensures Nadal returns in 2012 with a vengeance to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

Nadal Finds Passion in Davis Cup Title

25

A t No. 31, Raonic is the highest ranked player in our list. The 6 foot 5 inch Canadian began his

assault on the ATP Tour at the begin-ning of the year, when he fought his way through qualifying to get to the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he lost to David Ferrer in four sets.

It was an impressive performance from Raonic, who was ranked No. 152 then. He beat Michael Llodra in the second round, his first win against a top 30 player, and then Mikhail Youzhny, then No. 10.

Then, as the World No. 84, he won his first ATP title in San Jose, where he beat Fernando Verdasco in the final.

Since then, he has beaten Gilles Si-mon once, on clay, and Mardy Fish twice.

The Canadian’s success lies in his big serve. In less than a year, he has estab-lished himself as one of the best servers on the ATP Tour. He has hit 637 aces, the most on tour, and is tied with Roger

Federer, for first serve points won at 79 percent.

He is also the sixth most successful man on tour at holding his own serve. He has won 88 percent of his service games, the same percent that 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has won.

At Wimbledon, Raonic was consid-ered by many to be a dark horse. He won his first-round match against Marc Gicquel, but at 2-2 in the first set in his second-round match against Gilles Muller he slipped on the grass and hurt his hip. He had to retire in the next game.

The second half of the Canadian’s season was disrupted by the injury. He eventually returned in time to play in his country’s Davis Cup tie against Israel in September.

He did end the year on a high note, as he reached the semifinal in Stockholm. Raonic is already the real deal, even at such a young age. You can expect greater things from him in 2012.

W h o w i l l b e t h e n e x t b i g t h i n g ?

754

6321 Young

Players to Watch forin 2012

Milos Raonic20, Canada

by James Watersonjamesw@tennisnow.com

26

Much has been written about Dimitrov because his smooth ground strokes, killer

forehand and one-handed backhand have drawn comparisons to 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

There are plenty of indications that Dimitrov is more than just hype. In 2008, he won the Wimbledon and US Open junior titles, and within the two years he has risen from No. 309 to No. 76 in the rankings.

Like Raonic, the Bulgarian impressed at this year’s Australian Open. He battled through qualifying and beat Andrey Golubev, his second win against a top 40 player in his career.

In April, he beat then No. 25 Marcos

Baghdatis en route to his first ATP quarterfinal in Munich and he advanced to the same stage on the grass courts of Eastbourne in June.

At Wimbledon, he took the first set from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before losing what was a compelling match.

He had a tough draw at the US Open as well, as he had to face Gael Monfils in the first round.

Although the last few months of his season were quiet, it’s undeniable that Dimitrov has the game to be at the top.

T omic is not only the youngest player in our list, but the one who has had the most success in a

Grand Slam.The 19-year-old worked his way-

through qualifying at Wimbledon and scored outstanding wins against Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling, and Xavier Malisse before he lost in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic.

Those who have watched Tomic’s short career were probably not surprised by the Australian’s run in Wimbledon.

Despite being eliminated in the second round of qualifying at the 2008 Australian Open, he prevailed in the junior division, winning the first of his two junior Grand Slam titles.

At this year’s Australian Open, he won his first match against a top 40 player when he took down Feliciano Lopez in straight sets to make the third round.

In 2010, Tomic gave the then No. 14

Marin Cilic all he could handle in the sec-ond round, but he wasn’t able to capitalize on a 2-1 set lead.

He started 2011 ranked No. 209, and with his Wimbledon quarterfinal, as well as solid results on the challenger level, his ranking has shot up to No. 42, making him the top-ranked Australian.

Although he’s 6 feet 4 inches tall, Tomic plays a more cerebral style of ten-nis, and uses his power only when he has to.

“Look, the way I play, I catch a lot of guys out with not a lot of power. My strengths are, you know, I can find players’ weaknesses really quickly. That’s what I’ve always been good at when I was young,” Tomic said at the Australian Open.

“I can hit the ball hard, but I don’t do it a lot of the time. That’s sort the not my game, playing hard. But, you know, I like to play against players, make ‘em miss sort of thing.”

Grigor Dimitrov20, Bulgaria

Bernard Tomic19, Australia

27

It’s always good to see an American on a list like this, considering there are now only nine in the top 100. Harrison

recently had a breakthrough of his own, as he made his first ATP semifinal at the Atlanta Tennis Championships last week.

En route to the semifinal, he beat 40th-ranked Xavier Malisse in three sets, and then survived a tough challenge from fellow American Rajeev Ram.

Although he lost to Mardy Fish 6-2, 6-4, his performance catapulted him 26 spots to No. 94, making it the first time he has been ranked within the top 100 in his career.

Harrison’s performance in Atlanta isn’t a surprise considering his results from earlier this year.

He beat then No. 25 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and No. 37 Milos Raonic before he lost to Roger Federer and a closely-

contested straight-set match at Indian Wells.

The American then took a set from World No. 5 Robin Soderling in the first round of the French Open, and at Wimbledon he beat No. 37 Ivan Dodig of Croatia in the first round before falling to David Ferrer in five sets.

Looking further back, Harrison was ranked No. 7 in the world in juniors and he advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 Australian Open junior tournament.

The 19-year-old is a good athlete with a solid all-court game. He frequently steps inside of the baseline to attack his opponent’s second serves, and he’s shown an affinity for serving and volleying.

Although it is still too early to tell whether he will be another Andy Roddick, Harrison’s success so far shows that there is a possibility.

Now we’re getting into unknown territory (at least for Americans).Stebe, one of two left-handed

players on our list, turned professional in 2010.

At the beginning of 2011, he was ranked No. 375, and since then he’s won two futures, two challengers and the ATP Challenger Tour Finals . He also qualified for his first Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon.

It set the stage for what has been an impressive run for the 21 year old. On the clay courts of the Mercedes Cup in Stutt-gart, he beat former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko and French Open quarterfi-nalist Fabio Fognini to not only score his first two ATP-level wins, but to make his first ATP quarterfinal.

He repeated his performance in Ham-

burg the next week, when he took down Stuttgart champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and Davydenko again, before he lost to Fernando Verdasco in the third round.

Stebe is now at a career high No. 81, and he’s posted a 48-17 match record.The future looks good for the German, who lists David Nalbandian as his idol.

His game even reflects the Argen-tine’s. Aside from an effective serve, Stebe’s two-handed backhand looks to be one of his best shots. He is also consis-tent from the baseline and highly mobile.

He’s shown he has the game to beat players within the top 30 in the world, but his success will bring more pressure to preform and greater expectations.

Will he become a top player? Or has he already reached his peak? We’ll find out during the next few years.

Ryan Harrison19, United Sates

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe21, Germany

28

D el Bonis is our second lefty in our list. Hailing from Azul, Argentina, the 6 feet 3 inch Argentine is

currently ranked No. 203, although he reached a career-high of No. 117 as a 19 year old.

Like Stebe, the 21 year old had his first breakthrough in Stuttgart. He played his way through qualifying and beat 20th-ranked Florian Mayer and 45th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets, before he lost to former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 in the semifinal.

In his match against Ferrero, del Bonis showed that he uses his forehand, which he gets plenty of spin on, to control points, while he can take shots early with his two-handed backhand and

hit winners.In fact, his preferred way to construct

points is to open up the court with an inside-out forehand, and then direct the backhand up the line.The Argentine also has plenty of pace and spin on his serve, and good touch around the net.

His strokes and game style appear to be best suited to clay courts because he takes big swings on his forehand. Yet he said that he likes to play on outdoor hard courts as well, and his results indicate his preference as he lost in the semifinal of the challenger in Sao Paolo, Brazil, earlier this year.

If his level of play in Stuttgart wasn’t a fluke, there is a promising future for del Bonis.

T he final youngster on the list, Krajinovic reached a career high of No. 170 as an 18 year old. His

first breakthrough came at the 2010 Serbia Open in Belgrade, where he got to his first ATP semifinal.

Most notably, he won the first set against Novak Djokovic before the cur-rent World No. 1 retired at the start of the second set. Krajinovic eventually lost in the semifinal to eventual cham-pion and World No. 22, Sam Querrey.

Krajinovic has been on the radar for a while. As a 13 year old, the Serbian made the fourth round of the 2006 Orange Bowl, where he lost to Bernard Tomic 7-6 (3), 6-0.

Soon after that, he signed a contract with the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fl., and he went on to win four junior singles titles that year.

In 2008, he made the fourth round of the junior French Open, then made the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Krajinovic has been described as hav-ing a game similar to Andre Agassi’s, and Bollettieri described his ground strokes as “devastating,” and the best part of his game.

Unfortunately for the Serb, a shoul-der injury derailed his 2011 season, which has caused his ranking to drop to No. 1404.

Since he’s only 19, Krajinovic has plenty of time to get over his shoulder injury and make his mark on the tour.

Federico del Bonis21, Argentina

Filip Krajinovic19, Serbia

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