Top 10 tennis man player in the world

DJOKOVIC: 'I DARE TO DREAM'

Novak Djokovic, the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, is eyeing another record-breaking season.

Speaking at Westminster Hall in London, on Monday night, the World No. 1 said, "I will try to set up my form for Roland Garros first of all, where I want to get the title and go all the way through. Then I'll start thinking about Wimbledon and the Olympics."

Djokovic will be looking to lift his firstRoland Garros trophy in June and become the eighth man in tennis history to clinch a career Grand Slam of all four major championship titles.

The 24-year-old Serbian believes he can win in Paris and then land a gold medal at the Olympic Games tennis event, which will be held at the All England Club, Wimbledon, from 28 July to 5 August.

"Why not both?" Djokovic asked. "I've learnt how to handle my schedule, how to handle myself on and off the court and to prepare for the biggest events. That is going to be the case this year. I have to stay optimistic, believe in what I can do, believe in my abilities and believe that I can win on all surfaces.

"I have proven on numerous occasions that I can really be one of the candidates to win every Grand Slam on every surface. I need to keep that up. Roland Garros is the one to win this year."

Djokovic beat Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, sprinter Usain Bolt, Tour de France cycling champion Cadel Evans, NBA basketball star Dirk Nowitzki and Barcelona football player Lionel Messi to the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.

"I dare to dream of becoming the best player. Now I have this special award and I think everything is possible," he said. "Serbia is a small and beautiful country, but also very poor. It has a lot of troubles and wars in the last 20 years. I hope each and every one in the world could dream."

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon, US Open and recent Australian Open finals, is the reigning Olympic champion. The Spaniard beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the 2008 final at Beijing.

Roger Federer won four straight Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards between 2005-2008. Nadal received the 2011 award.

The 'golden generation' repel newcomers

It is too damned quiet out there. As the first week of the Australian Open draws to a close, there is an air of tranquillity and order about the place; everything is going according to plan. And that’s a worry.

So far, the big guns, those shooting for the trophy, are keeping their powder dry. Of the top four, only Andy Murray has dropped a set (in the opening match against the talented Ryan Harrison) and all of them have conserved their energies in order to be ready for the bigger matches later on in the tournament. But a quiet first week usually makes for an explosive second week – hence the initial cause for concern – so the trick is to identify just who might provide the fireworks.

This is, as everyone keeps telling us, the golden age of men’s tennis. Roger Federer with his 16 major trophies, is the old GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) but just as soon as he had rewritten the record books, along comes Rafa Nadal and threatens to overtake him. And then, as the world marvelled at the muscular Majorcan, so last year Novak Djokovic put together one of the finest season’s the game has ever seen. And throughout it all, Murray keeps knocking on the door and coming within touching distance of his first grand slam title.

But nothing can last forever. Just as Federer became the architect of his own downfall – he was so stupendously good that he forced every other player to work harder, longer and smarter in order to beat him – so the Big Four have spawned a new generation of players who are not only big and powerful, they are clever, too. No longer will belting the ball from the baseline win trophies; now the young hopefuls are not only working eyeballs-out on the practise court to be as fit as is humanly possible, they are crafty and cunning when they get to the match court.

Leading this new flock is Australia’s very own Bernard Tomic. Yes, he is tall, yes, he is strong but he plays the game in his own way. Able to turn defence into attack in the blinking of an eye and deviously deceptive in the way he moves about the court (he gives no clue as to whether he is going to leather a winner or feather a forehand), he is tipped for great things in the coming years. He may just be taking his first steps up the ladder to the top – he is ranked No.38 in the world – but already, the greats of the game are keeping a close eye on him.

“He understand the game,” Rafael Nadal said approvingly. “His position on court is fantastic.  He's young and he's doing great mentally, in my opinion. He stays very relaxed with, in my opinion, positive face, even when the match is tough for him, in tough moments of the match, I saw him always with calm and accepting everything really well. That's the right tactic to be a champion.

“Probably he's one of these players that have a very good chance to be there. For sure after, in terms of the game, he need to improve things. Sure, he's young. But with 19 years old he is No. 30 of the world winning three very tough matches here against three players with very good level. The normal evolution is to see him, I don't know if this year, in the top 10, but probably this year, next year.”

Tomic is one of only two teenagers in the world’s top 100, the other being 19-year-old Harrison, the bloke who gave Murray the run around last week. Although he did not make it over the first fence here, he gave notice that he will be a problem for the top men in the near future.

He trains with Andy Roddick in Texas and there are plenty of similarities between the old champion and the young gun. They both have a thumping serve and both use their forehands like a pile-driver. Like Roddick, too, Harrison is intelligent and quick to learn. He has had a few run-ins with the top men and with every match, he learns a little more.

“With each match you play at that level, you get a little bit more experience and you get a little bit more used to the pressure of the situation,” Harrison said. “Hopefully, in the near future, if I get into the position to win sets and matches against the top ten guys, I will be a little bit more comfortable with the feeling and have a little more understanding about how I need to go about my business and how I need play those points and close it out and ultimately not get too caught up in the situation. Just make sure I do things the right way.”

Milos Raonic, at 21, is a little older and a little more experienced. With two titles to his name – San Jose last year and Chennai this year – he has already proved himself on the tour but now he wants to make his mark at the grand slams. Armed with a huge serve and a massive wingspan (he is 6ft 5ins tall), he presents an unusual problem to most opponents but not to Lleyton Hewitt. The Australian firebrand defeated Raonic in the third round in one of Hewitt’s typical, rip-roaring, gutsy, battling performances. After all his injury woes, Hewitt won that match on sheer force of will – and not even Raonic’s impressive talents could overcome that. Still, Hewitt was mightily impressed with his young rival.

“I think from what I saw from him not only in the Australian Open last year but San Jose and Memphis, he's pretty experienced,” Hewitt said. “He's got a good head on his shoulders in terms of tennis knowledge.”

Nadal agrees. He is friends with Raonic’s coach, the Spaniard Galo Blanco, and has kept a close watch on Raonic’s progress.

“With this serve, forehand, and not bad movement, if you are just a little bit smart and try to keep improving your game, you have to be in the top positions of the ranking,” Nadal said. “And he is young. He has everything to be there. I don't have any doubt that he will be fighting for important tournaments very soon. His movements are good. He need to go to the net a little bit more often  His serve is, for most of the time, impossible to return and he has a very good forehand. So if his mental part works well, I don't have any doubt he will be there.”

All  three of these young men have departed the men's singles in Melbourne, with Bernard Tomic -  the standard bearer for the new generation – outplayed by Roger Federer tonight.. But all three men will be back next year. They will be a year older, a year wiser and a step closer to ending the Golden Generation’s dominance. Stand by for fireworks.

Top 10: Racquet smashers

With his grand racquet slam, Marcos Baghdatis made us nostalgic for racquet pulpers of times past. Here’s a top 10 of racquet smashers.

1. Marcos Baghdatis. Down a break in the third set against Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday night, the frustrated Baggy slumped in his courtside chair and smashed four racquets in about 20 seconds, not even bothering to take the last two out their protective (sniff!) plastic. The sunny Cypriot breaking celebratory plates in a taverna we can see, but this was totally random.

2. Marat Safin. The 2005 Australian Open champ now prides himself on being the best-looking dude in the Russian Duma. He was formerly famous for splintering his Head racquets - 48 smashed frames in 1999 the unofficial record. Marat estimated he’d sent over 1000 racquets to the big tennis court in the sky. But the charismatic Russian did it with class. ‘Today I smash racquets, for tomorrow we die,’ he mused.

3. Goran Ivanisevic. The endearingly loopy Croat made history as the only player to be defaulted from a tournament due to ‘lack of equipment’. At the Samsung Open in Brighton, UK, in late 2000, Goran had binned all his racquets by the middle of the third set, and his opponent refused to lend him a stick. ‘Mr Ivanisevic cannot continue because of lack of appropriate equipment,’ announced the umpire. Goran packed enough racquets to win Wimbledon months later.

4. John McEnroe. The volcanic Supermac practically invented racquet abuse. And ball abuse. And professional umpiring. Against Swede Mikael Pernfors at Australian Open 1990, McEnroe hurled his racquet to the court, then argued he shouldn’t have been penalised a point as the stick was cracked, not broken (he’d already received a warning for intimidating a linesperson) The referee and supervisor were called to the court, McEnroe failed to persuade them and then verbally abused the officials as they left the arena. Seconds later he was sensationally defaulted for the first time in his Grand Slam career.

5. Novak Djokovic. Charlie Sheen had nothing on ‘winning’ in 2011 compared to Djokovic. But even the dominant new No.1 lost it at his racquet at Wimbledon in a third-round dog-fight against Baghdatis. On the soft turf, three whacks were required for the break. Novak usually goes the double-whack, as demonstrated in the 2010 US Open final and several other tournament sites.

6. Andy Roddick. The skill with which the A-Rod busted his racquet en route to a loss against No.160 Flavio Cipolla at Madrid last May, and an earlier 2007 effort in Memphis show plenty of experience in the caper.

7. Fernando Gonzalez. The 2007 Australian Open finalist with the ballistic forehand destroyed racquets at Rome and Indian Wells in 2009. But when Gonzo trashed his equipment during a 2010 loss to Andy Roddick in Rod Laver Arena, a lucky fan scored a souvenir.

8. Vera Zvonareva. The Muscovite went into a famous meltdown during a 6-0 6-3 final loss to Sam Stosur at Charleston in 2010.  Her racquet was hurled to the green clay and broken, then tossed and finally kicked under her courtside chair.

9. Roger Federer. A smashed Federer racquet is the tennis equivalent of a unicorn sighting. But the model sportsman was a fiery junior who sent many a racquet spinning like a helicopter - mostly on the practice court. And as recently as 2009, a packed stadium in Miami went into shock when the Swiss maestro mangled his Wilson during a semifinal with Novak Djokovic. Federer lost 6-3 in the third. Whoever salvaged the racquet has a priceless treasure.

10. Mikhail Youzhny. At Miami in 2008, Youzhny was in a heated fight with Nicolas Almagro when he decided to give his racquet three whacks - against his head. Amazingly, his bonce came off worse; a trainer was required to stem a trickle of blood and apply bandages. The insanity may have knocked some sense into him; Youzhny won in a third-set tiebreak.

Williams Looking Forward to Playing Olympic Doubles with Roddick

Serena Williams is excited by her budding mixed doubles partnership with Andy Roddick, with the pair set to play both at the Australian Open and the London Games - according to Serena.

The optimistic American insists that she and her 29-year-old compatriot are signed on for mixed over the fortnight at Melbourne Park. But with top men almost never entered in the often distracting event, the proof will come when the draw is released. “Book it, it’s real!” Williams tweeted.

She told American media: "I think it will be really fun. I actually practiced next to Andy, but we were both so focused on our singles practice that I didn’t even get to talk to him too much today.

“I hit the worst volley today and I was a little worried. I was like, ‘He might want to get a new partner.’ We’ll see how it goes.”

Williams owns a dozen women's doubles title with sister Venus and won the Hopman Cup mixed event three years ago with Mardy Fish. In mixed, she won Wimbledon and the US Open in the last century. If Roddick actually fronts up, it will be his first doubles at a major since Wimbledon 11 years ago.

New ATP boss praises 'best ever' position

New ATP executive chairman and president Brad Drewett says men's tennis is in arguably its "best ever" position as he takes charge of the organisation.

Drewett, a former player who won two junior Australian Open titles, two ATP tour titles and represented Australia in the Davis Cup, took over the role in December from the outgoing Adam Helfant.

At a media introduction on Wednesday, Drewett told reporters the game is in an "incredible" shape.

"What really encourages me, you've got those four guys (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray), but the next crop of guys after them, Del Potro, Tsonga, David Ferrer, Gaël Monfils.  These are all not only great players, they're guys that can fill any stadium in the world.  I think that really is part of the great strength of our sport today, not just the top four players, but also the names behind them, the personalities behind those players," Drewett said.

Drewett said he hoped to continue promoting the game and further building the business side of tennis, which he saw as very positive.

However, he acknolwedged that it may not always be plain sailing.

"As I said, I know this job, I've seen this job through other chairmen, it's not always easy.  I'm not someone who is naïve to the point where I know there aren't going to be issues.  But I think I'm well‑placed to handle those.  There's not too much I haven't seen before and I'm looking forward to the next few years."

Questioned about talk of player strikes following a recent ATP player meeting, Drewett said he "heard" their issues.

"I think the game is clearly in a great spot. That doesn't mean there's not always going to be some issues on the side.  That's for me to listen.  I heard the players loud and clear the other night about their issues.

"They're obviously a very, very important part of this organisation.  As a former player, I hope I understand their issues as much as anyone.  My plan is to represent their opinions wherever it needs to be represented and make sure they're heard," Drewett said.

Drewett added that he had a very engaged group of players to deal with.

"These guys, because they're engaged and they care, their level of understanding about the detail of any issue, whether it be the Grand Slams, scheduling, calendar, prize money, is like it's never been before.  I see that as a positive.  It's great to be able to sit down with players who really get it.  They really do get it.  They understand.

"I think whatever debate we're going to be having moving forward, I'm sitting in a room with these guys.  It's not a matter of having to help them understand the issues.  They get it already.  I think that's a great starting point for me dealing with these issues."

Grand Performers

This month, to mark the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne, ATPWorldTour.com takes an in-depth look at Grand Slam championship records using the FedEx ATP Reliability Index, with exclusive analysis from some great champions.

Every player attempts to peak for each major championship by working hard off the court and by gaining valuable match practise at ATP World Tour tournaments, but only a lucky few are able to take home silverware from the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Bjorn Borg leads the all-time Grand Slam match-wins list with a 141-16 record (.898) since 1973, including 11 titles, ahead of second-placed Rafael Nadal, who has a 143-20 (.877) mark and 10 trophies. Roger Federer, the 16-time Grand Slam title-leader, is third overall with a 228-34 record (.870).

Borg told ATPWorldTour.com, "The goal for me every year was to win the Grand Slam tournaments. It helped if I arrived at each Grand Slam well-rested and alert no matter what surface it was. It was most important to hit peak form at those events.

"You could lose anyway, but if you did, you knew that you were in good shape and did your best. After the first two rounds I began to feel that I was in the tournament and I got more confidence. I played much better the longer the race went on." Borg's worst performance in 27 majors was a US Open second-round exit in 1974.

DjokovicNovak Djokovic, who is currently No. 1 in the South African Airways 2012 ATP Rankings and defending champion at the Australian Open, is eighth in the all-time list (110-24, .821). He went .962 last year, with a 25-1 record. Meanwhile, World No. 4 Andy Murray is ranked No. 17 overall, with a 78-24 mark (.765).

Djokovic, who picked up three of the four Grand Slam championships and seven other titles last year, recently explained how confidence carried him through last season. "Every single [title] gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "I was building confidence with every trophy that I have won. Like everything in life, in tennis as well, you need to have a high confidence level. When you're playing on it, it feels like nothing can stop you."

Six-time major champion Boris Becker, who won his first big title, at 1985 Wimbledon, aged 17, told ATPWorldTour.com, "The difference between the top players, those who win Grand Slams titles, and other players is not a question of technique or their actual game, but having a positive attitude

"When you play a major final, you have to play to win with aggression. You must take your chances and not give it away. Just by getting to a final, you should be confident. Then, it is a case of going out to win."

Becker, who is No. 13 in the all-time list since 1973, with a 163-40 match record, added, "In any era of tennis, talent has only gotten a player so far. The simple fact is that no one is going to lose a Grand Slam for you. The winner is the guy who dominates the middle of the court."

Last year, the Top 4 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings reached all four Grand Slam semi-finals.

BorgBorg, who believes he won Roland Garros in 1978 and 1980 at the peak of his form, is not surprised. "Tennis is a mental sport, you need to be physically strong and know how to handle the important situations, through perfect practise. The difference between playing well in tight situations is the difference between the players at the top."

With the current Top 4 among the Top 20 grand performers since 1973, Pete Sampras (No. 5 overall, 203-38 record, .842) observed, prior to Wimbledon last year, that Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray "are just better movers than everyone else. They're better athletes." His one-time rival, Andre Agassi, added, "The players are quicker, stronger, bigger, fitter and the whole package is that there is much more strength in tennis today."

Nieminen Wins Sydney Title To End Drought

Jarkko Nieminen ended a six-year title drought on Sunday, defeating Julien Benneteau 6-2, 7-5 in an all 30-over final at the Apia International Sydney to win his second career trophy. "I tried to focus and win every point I could. I think I managed to do that pretty well," said Nieminen.

"I don't have a good record in finals, but I don't think I've done anything wrong in the ones I've played. Today I felt I had a really good chance to take the title as I had the game to do it. It's been many years since that first title and I had many finals after that, but I'm pretty good at believing in myself."

After Benneteau broke the Finn in the first game, the match belonged to Nieminen. He converted four breaks of serve, and won 74 per cent of his first serve points to improve his undefeated record against the Frenchman to a 5-0 mark. "I had one of the best off-seasons," revealed Nieminen. "I stayed healthy and felt I was playing really good the whole of December, and practising hard. Maybe I'm more relaxed and experienced now, and don't have anything to prove with myself."

Nieminen is the first qualifier to win an ATP World Tour title since Sergiy Stakhovsky lifted the St. Petersburg crown in 2009. Nieminen’s previous triumph came at the Heineken Open in 2006, and this week’s ATP World Tour 250 event in Sydney was the 147th tournament he competed in since winning his first title in Auckland. He is now 2-10 in title matches.

Benneteau was bidding to win his first title, and fell to a 0-6 final record with the loss. He was aiming to become the first player over 30 to capture his first ATP World Tour title in nearly seven years, since Australian Wayne Arthurs, 33, won at Scottsdale in 2005. "It was a good week, but not the finish I wanted, as I hoped today I would win," Benneteau said. "Jarkko played very well, but I could have done better. It's a good start to the year. My goal is to win a tournament and to be a better player."

The two were contesting the first all 30-over final since 2007, when 30-year-old Carlos Moya topped 33-year-old Andrei Pavel to win the Umag trophy.

Nieminen later finished runner-up with Matthew Ebden in the doubles final to World No. 1 pairing Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. The American twins won 6-1, 6-4.

Bryans Triumph In Sydney Doubles Final

Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan captured their 76th team title, defeating wild cards Matthew Ebden and Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4 in the Apia International Sydney final on Sunday.

The Bryans commanded the match from the beginning, opening with a 5-0 lead. They won 77 per cent of their points on serve and did not face a break point. The World No. 1 pair converted three service breaks against Ebden and Nieminen to seal the victory in just 53 minutes. "First of all, congrats to Jarkko on a Herculean effort here in Sydney. Twelve matches in one week is no easy feat," said Bob Bryan. "With that said, it's a nice feeling to get a title this early in the season. I thought we played some great tennis and we hope to carry this momentum into Melbourne Park."

The American twins are now two-time champions at the ATP World Tour 250 event, having first lifted the trophy in 2009. They also finished runners-up in 2011, 2008 and 2004. The Bryans will now head to the Australian Open, an event they’ve won five times in the past six years. "Thanks to everyone for another great event. Sydney is a beautiful city and we always enjoy starting the year here," Mike Bryan said. "We love this tourney and we think it's the perfect springboard into the year's first Grand Slam. We're excited for Melbourne and the rest of 2012."

Ebden and Nieminen, who ousted No. 2 seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the quarter-finals, were playing their first tournament together. Ebden dropped to a 2-1 final record, while Nieminen fell to a 2-4 mark. The Finn was bidding to win both the singles and doubles titles at a tournament for the first time, after beating Julien Benneteau earlier Sunday to win the singles crown.

Del Potro to play Baghdatis in Sydney tennis quarters

Juan Martin del Potro brushed aside Lukasz Kubot Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Sydney International, as the Argentine edges closer to cracking the top ten rankings.

World number 11 del Potro, clawing his way back after a career-threatening wrist injury, downed the 58th-ranked Polish player 6-4, 6-2 in blustery conditions on the Ken Rosewall Arena.

The 2009 US Open champion and Sydney top seed will take on unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in Thursday's quarter-finals.

Baghdatis, the 2010 Sydney champion, took over two hours to subdue Australian Matthew Ebden 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).

"It was really tough conditions today," del Potro said.

"I was just really focused on my serve in the first set, and then tried to take a little opportunity, because it was really difficult to play long rallies, to feel the ball like I wanted."

Del Potro only trails world number 10 Spaniard Nicolas Almagro by 65 rankings points and said it was his goal in 2012 to beat top-ten players after winning the ATP Comeback Player of the Year award, jumping from 257 to 11th.

Juan Martin del Potro won 6-4, 6-2

"I was really scared in this tournament last year because it was the first tournament after my (wrist) surgery," he said.

"But with time and practising I improved a lot and kept wining matches and that's helped me to keep the confidence to play healthy and play better.

"At this moment, I don't think of my wrist, so it's a good signal for the future."

Del Potro said winning a second grand slam was a big challenge for him.

"I think I'm still far (away) to do that goal, but I'm working. I'm feeling good every day," he said.

"So I need time and do it step-by-step and then be ready for that moment."

American second seed John Isner crashed out 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to compatriot Bobby Reynolds, who will face Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in the last eight.

Nieminen, a runner-up here three years ago, accounted for eighth seed Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-1.

French third seed Richard Gasquet cruised past Italian Fabio Fognini in straight sets and will take on Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the quarters.

Two more men's seeds were knocked out late Wednesday with Frenchman Julien Benneteau accounting for fourth-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4 and Russia's Alex Bogomolov Jnr eliminating Serbian fifth seed Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Benneteau and Bogomolov will fight out the last quarter-final match on Thursday.

Fish beats Raonic, Melzer upsets Tsonga at Kooyong

Winners on the weekend in Doha and Chennai, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic lost their opening matches Wednesday at the invitational Kooyong Classic, a warmup for next week’s Australian Open.

Tsonga, who won the Qatar Open in an all-French final Saturday against Gael Monfils, lost 6-4, 6-3 to Austria’s Jurgen Melzer as cold, blustery conditions made it difficult for players.

Raonic, who didn’t drop a service game en route to winning the Chennai title, lost 6-1, 6-2 to Mardy Fish, who had some mixed performances as part of the U.S. team at the Hopman Cup last week.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve really felt 100 percent healthy, which I do now,” said Fish, who finished in the top 10 for the first time last season. “And now I just need the matches and I need to get going again.”

Raonic withdrew from the eight-man tournament after the loss, citing an upset stomach.

Australian teenager Bernard Tomic beat No. 7-ranked Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and Monfils finished off the day with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) win over American veteran Andy Roddick.

Monfils hit a between-the-legs forehand to seal the opening tiebreaker after earning four set points with a full-stretch backhand crosscourt winner that caught Roddick by surprise.

After a close second set, the deciding tiebreaker was lopsided with Monfils earning four match points on a Roddick backhand error. Roddick saved one before Monfils put away the match with a crisp volley.