ATP Finals 2014

The last of the players have qualified, and we're now just a few days away from the last tournament of the year, the ATP World Tour Finals at the 02, London.

The top 8 to qualify are as follows;

1. Djokovic
2. Federer
3.Wawrinka
4. Nishikori
5. Murray
6. Berdych
7. Raonic
8. Cilic


There are a few new faces in the field this year, Nishikori, Raonic and Cilic.

As you know, Rafa withdrew due to his appendectomy, so this gave one extra spot to the 9th in the race.

David Ferrer narrowly missed out on a spot by losing to Nishikori in the QF of the Paris Masters, it is the first time in 5 years he has not completed the race to London.

This year we've had the breakthrough of Nishikori, Raonic and Cilic- who won the US Open. It's been an interesting year to watch, hopefully that will carry on in London.

The draw for the tournament sorts the players into two groups A and B.

GROUP A

Djokovic
Wawrinka
Berdych
Cilic


GROUP B

Federer
Murray
Raonic
Nishikori


Some may argue (including me) that it's one of the most uninteresting line ups we've seen for a while, with Rafa and David gone. It's a different situation with the new generation creeping in as we don't know if they're going to bring excitement or just make us miss Rafa and David even more…

What are your thoughts on the lineup?
Who will win the ATP World Tour Finals Title in 2014?


@rafanadaladdict

Congratulations Marin Cilic!

After an incredible two weeks, Marin Cilic has been crowned the 2014 US Open champion.

Marin beat Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-3 in the final, a very convincing win.

He's been strong, powerful and very solid all tournament, and he truly deserves the title. He won some tough matches, and most notably beat Federer in straight sets in the semi finals.

His serves have been amazing, his game has been almost error free, and his groundstrokes are just so powerful. He's been so dominant on court.

I truly hope that this win will lead him to many other great things, instead of doing a 'Stan Wawrinka'.

You could see how much this meant to him (and all of his team), the emotion was just beautiful.

Congratulations to Marin Cilic and all his team. Thanks to Goran, for leading him to this win, and thanks to the US Open for a great fortnight.

See you next year, New York.

US Open Men's Final- Preview

Wow! Who expected that?! It's a Nishikori vs Cilic US Open final! 

For the first time in 12 years, a top 10 ranked player will not be in the final of a grand slam, and for the first time since 2005, a member of the big four will not be in the final. 

Some crazy stats, but these two have certainly deserved this opportunity. They both knocked out the top seeds in the semis. Nishikori beat Djokovic in 4 sets, and Cilic charged through Federer in 3. Both the semi finals were shocking, but highly entertaining.

It's not often that we see something like this. Also, the answer is yes, Nadal fans are very happy!

Kei came into the semi finals with tough wins, beating players such as Raonic and Wawrinka. He came through the match with Milos with a five set win over four hours. Kei's body does let him down, but it certainly didn't in that match. He's been determined all tournament, and beating Novak Djokovic 6-4 1-6 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the QFs certainly helps. 

Kei outclassed Novak, he was simply too good. Novak won the 2nd set and it seemed like he was on track to take the match, but Kei was calm, confident and managed to bring it back. A gruelling tiebreak wasn't even enough to put him off. Very impressive. 

Marin was simply outstanding. His tennis was absolutely perfect. His serves were huge,  but his returns were just as good. His forehands really dominated, and some great shots were coming off that racket. Federer didn't exactly play badly, but Marin was error free, he played the match of his life. Cilic dominated Federer 6-3 6-4 6-4. He was just so impressive, he was calm and confident, like a true professional. Almost half of the points he won were straight winners. Amazing. 



The final is obviously not what everyone expected, but it's sure to be a great match. Both are playing well, they both have determination. I think Marin had a slightly easier match, Federer wasn't playing quite as well as Djokovic, but thats because he didn't get an opportunity to. Kei really battled hard, and thats sure to give him so much confidence in the final. It comes down to a battle over power and agility. Marin's big serves and powerful groundstrokes may just overwhelm Nishikori. 

My prediction- If Cilic can display the same error free game as he did against Federer, I think he may just win his first grand slam title!