Has 2012 been the best year for tennis in a decade?

It definitely has. The last time when things were so hot in the tour was way back in the magnificent 80′s, where we had John Mcenroe, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan lendl, vying for tennis glory in almost all the tournaments. Since then, it has always been a two man battle, first with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras through the nineties, followed by Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt in the early years of this millenium, and of course the most famous and engaging one till date, between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. For a fleeting instant though, people thought that the next rivalry was to be between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. But Federer put those thoughts to rest, and now it has truly become an open field, with the competition level so high, that nothing but the very best would ensure survival. A look at the year in progress would shed more light into this argument.

The year of 2012 started off with a bang with the Australian open. Djokovic was expected to easily defend his title, given his near invincible run in 2011. However, Federer had also come in with victories in three succesive tournaments (Basel, Paris Masters, and the World tour finals), and was thought to have an outside shot at the title. The draw contracted according to the script, and you had the top 4 in the semifinals for the third time in a row in a slam. Even though Federer lost the match against Rafa in 4 sets, it was far from an easy victory for Rafa. It was the tightest 4 set match since the one in the semi finals of the French Open 2011 (Federer v Djokovic). The other semi final was a marathon which Djokovic eventually won. The final needless to say, was the longest grand slam final ever played at 5 hrs and 53 minutes. A testament to the never say die attitude of both Djokovic and Nadal. Djokovic won that, but by no means was it an easy feat, and right away, the world knew that more such battles would throw up in other tournaments as well.

In Indian Wells, where Djokovic was again the defending champion, most of the players fell prey to a flu, but that did not result in a dip in the playing intensity, suggesting that the fitness, both mental and physical has skyrocketed among the players in the tour. Big serving Isner downed Djokovic, a huge surprise, and Federer went on to lift the title, as well as the spirits and hopes of his legion of fans across the world, including yours truly. In the Sony Ericsson Masters in Miami, it was Djokovic who stole the show and the title, with his huge forehands from the baseline.

As the tour shifted to clay, there was cacaphony regarding the blue clay of Madrid, but the cool and calm Federer swept past the finishing line, as he came back from a set down to defeat Tomas Berdych in the final. In Rome, it was revenge time for Nadal, who wrested back the trophy from Djokovic. In the French open, Rafa was expected to win it with ease, but had it not been for the rain Gods sitting over Paris, we might have seen Djokovic completing a “Novak” slam!

Djokovic and Nadal were again favorites going into Wimbledon, the most prized amongst the slams, but the world recoiled in shock when Rafa suffered a second round exit from a slam since 2005. There were still doubts over Federer’s abilities as he managed to just scrape through a come from behind 5 set win over Frenchman Benneteau. But they were shortly put to rest when he dispatched Djokovic under the Centre court roof, and in the presence of his idol, Rod Laver. In the final again, he had to stage a comeback against a one set deficit as well as a partisan crowd. But he did it, and did it in style, lifting his 7th Wimbledon crown. Murray promised in the presentation ceremony, that he would put up a good show in the olympics.

And that he did, by beating Federer for the gold. The Olympics also included the best match in a long time between Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer, which Federer eventually won in the decider 19-17.

As the tour moved back to the hard courts of the USA again, it was Novak who first retained his Toronto masters, although in the absence of the triumvirate of Federer, Nadal, and Murray. In Cincinnati, Federer created history by becoming the first man in the open era to win the title 5 times. It was also the first time that Federer won a bagel set against Djokovic.

So all in all, 3 grand slams, 3 different winners, an Olympic gold taken by a man who was dubbed “the choker”, and three different winners amongst 6 masters 1000 events. Now all you need to do is to sit back and think when was the last time when the competition was so open ended. I think I have made my point!