Slams split same four ways two years in a row? That would be something, and it would nicely sum up this moment in tennis history which is quite unique. I think it would be just a bit too tidy though.

Wow federer reaching 1 Final and winning 1 GS is too much...

My predictions are like this

AO - Murray
FO-Djokovic
W-Murray
UO-Djokovic

I expect federer to reach final in Wimby, Semi for Both AO & UO, Qtr or below for FO.

Just as well these predictions are a figment of someone's imagination. Let's all induldge:

AO - Federer
FO - Nadal
Wim - Nadal
USO - Nadal

My prediction:

AO - Nadal
FO - Nadal
Wim - Nadal
USO - Nadal

Had Nadal not been out for 6 months he would have been my favourite for all 4 slams, however, I have to be realistic that it's a big ask for him to win the AO this year.

Runner up

AO - Seppi
FO - Monaco
Wim - Dimitrov
USO - Verdasco

Ok, here goes then ...
Oz - muzz
RG - rafa
Wimbie - muzz
USO - nole

Altho it wouldn't surprise me if nole won oz.
Sorry roger.

nadline - yeah, them were the days ;-) But I do hope rafa wins at least rg this year.
And antony, patron saint of finding missing things:-)

I don't think the 4 GS will be split again this year...

AO - Nole
FO - Juan Martin Del Petro
Wimbledon - Fed
USO - Nole

Murray is good, but the other 3 are better. Delpo will wrangle his way into the top 4 as Rafa slides and gets accustomed to playing again.

AO - Berdych
FO - Rafa
Wimbledon - Rafa
USO - Rafa

Best scenario for me would be Rafa winning all four slams of course! Merry Christmas!

AO - Nole or Murray
FO - Rafa
Wimbledon - Rafa
USO - Nole

I think if Rafa can win RG again, then he has a real shot at Wimbledon.

AO - Djokovic
FO - RAFA OR DJOKOVIC
Wimbleon - MURRAY
US - DJOKOVIC

Fed may reach final in WIMBLEDON AND US OPEN

I don't think Fed would reach the final of USO, given that his best year of 2012 since 2009, he can't even reach the SF, losing to Berdych. I think it'll be Fedal final at Wimbledon, if Rafa can make it that far, if not Fed vs Murray at Wimbledon. Fed's game is still the best on grass, and there's more chances of him reaching the Wimbledon final, as there aren't many grass court experts to stop him en route to the final.

None of the finalists of WTF have made it to the finals of AO since 2007 when Fed won the AO. Let's see if Fed or Djoko breaks that sequence.
Anyways, my predictions are
AO- Nole
FO- Rafa
Wimby- Murray
USO- Nole

Fed will most probably make to the finals of FO (if he doesnt face Rafa before that) and Wimbledon.
JMDP can make a run at any of the slams.

"Murray is good, but the other 3 are better. Delpo will wrangle his way into the top 4 as Rafa slides and gets accustomed to playing again..."

Yeah?
Sorry mate Murray is the best or he's gonna die trying to be!
2013 has his mitts all over it so get ready for a put down.
And if you think Delpo shall get another slam next year & THAT one will be over Rafa no less at RG, then i want some of what youre smokin!!

I'll try and improve upon aegis's predictions, okay here goes

AO-Kim Jong un
FO-Britney Spears
Wim-Osama Bin Laden
USO-Justin Bieber's hamster!

there, done & done :)

My predictions:
AO-Murray
FO-Rafa
Wimby-Fed
USO-JMDP

Then again, I can be all wrong. A lot will depend on how Nadal is doing on the non-clay surfaces. If he cant play to his potential the draws will become somewhat favourable to one of the top 4.
I hope all the big names are healthy and injury free through out the season. Wishing all the posters and also those who don't post, a Merry X-Mas and a very Happy New Year...Waiting to witness another fabulous year of tennis...

AO Djokovic (Del Potro)
FO Nadal (Djokovic)
W Murray (Federer)
USO Djokovic (Murray)

(Runner up in brackets)

#Humb1eOpinions

^^Andy will take the AO I think,
He's more in line to do that than he is to get wimbledon.
If Juan is in the final he will lose against either Novak or Andy, & to me its a pretty big if still.
If Andy does get to the Wimbledon final it will be due to the satisfying completion of his aggressive forehand game courtesy of the lendlator.
And as long as it doesnt rain, no one will stop him.
But ofcourse these are only predictions ;)

I'd love Nole to win all four :))) but whoever wins them, I'll be glad for them. I like seeing JMDP among the contenders because honestly, a variety at the top will make the year much more interesting ;).

BTW,
Happy Holidays to everyone!

anyone think a non Big 4 member will win one?

^^^ Yes. See my post of 12/24/2012 at 3.43am. Berdych for the AO!!! Rafa for the rest!!!

I think it's a possibility that a non Big 4 member could win a slam. I don't think Berdy has the mental toughness to win a slam. He doesn't seem to be consistent enough. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but he wouldn't be my choice as a dark horse or sleeper pick.

I think Delpo might be able to do it if he stays healthy and works on his fitness. I would think that if this were to happen, then the stars would have to align in some way. Maybe one of the top four could be upset and knocked out, opening up the draw on that side.

I don't think Raonic is quite there yet. Tsonga needs to develop a tennis brain instead of relying on just brawn and also needs to get mentally tougher and more consistent.

It will be interesting to see if someone can break through the monopoly by the top four.

djokovic - OzO, RG, UsO
del potro - wim

Anyone thinks Nole can complete a calender year? I feel so, dont know why? With an injured Rafa, an ageing Fed and inconsistent Andy.....

^^^ Don't think so. If Fed is aging, Murray is hitting his peak, so if not Fedal winning at Wimbledon, it'll be Murray, not Nole. Nole is the favorite to win AO but I feel Murray and even Delpo, have good chances of winning at USO. Delpo also has a good chance at the FO., provided he doesn't have any stamina issue and provided Rafa is not back to his normal level.

So if Fedal can't win anything, I think Nole is one of the favorites at AO ( big favorite), FO and USO; Murray at AO, Wimbledon and USO; Delpo at FO and USO.

Djokovic targets Roland Garros in 2013


?So ambitions are always high. I want to win every Grand Slam that I play, want to win every big tournament that I play.
So there is no difference for the next year?s ambition.


Roland Garros is always at the top of my priority list and ambitions. It?s the only Slam I haven?t won. I played in the final.



http://www.tennis.com/news/2012/12/djokovic-targets-roland-garros- 2013/45768/

Anyone else think that with Rafa having an uncertain start to the year and Federer really starting to get on now that Djokovic may just have stumbled in to an easier sub era of tennis where he will start picking up the majority of the slams? If Murray steps up then it could be interesting but I have to say that Djokovic is peaking at just the right time relative to Fed and Nadal.

Whether Nole peaks at the right time or not, it's not something that he can control. He may or may not be the next dominant player after Fed, and Rafa (for a short while). I do think Fedal still have a say in the next two years at least, after which both Nole and Murray should be the ones calling the shot. By then both would be 27, still relatively young and will have a few more years to enjoy at the top, given that the next batch of players are still figuring out how to break into the top echelon and may not peak so soon to challenge them.

But this is my point, when fedal were peaking up to approx 2010, Djokovic and Murray were challenging for grand slams and finally broke through the fedal dominance. Now that Djokovic is peaking he doesn't have the same level of competition with younger players coming through.

...but he has his peers, namely Murray, Delpo, even Cilic to challenge him, if there's no Fedal. Who knows, maybe both Rafa and Nole can challenge Fed in the slam counts, Rafa concentrating on clay and grass, Nole on the hard courts. Of course Murray and maybe Delpo may have a say where slams are concerned.

It depends on how his peers fare too. Fed, for eg, was fortunate that some of his peers, Nalhy and Safin, didn't realized their full potential for whatever reasons; and I feel Davy too, when he peak too late and didnt have the mentality to challenge in a slam.(I still remember how hard he pushed Fed during that FO2007 SF, pushing all three sets to either tiebreaks or 7-5 sets).

A slight drop off compared to the greatest era of all time but would still be quite strong and certainly nowhere near as weak as 2002-07 prior to nole, Murray and rafa coming into form.

That period of time marked a new low in interest in men's tennis. If Nole was at his current form during those years, he'd have a double digit slam count not unlike Fed. Same goes for Rafa.

#TheWeakEra

^^^ Sorry, a genuine question, which is the greatest era of all time?

2008-present

#OpenEra
#IMHO

Ok thanks for answering my question. Whst about Borg/Conners/Mac and then Lendl/Wilander/Connors/Mac era; or Sampras/Agassi era? Aren't they great too. How do they compare to this era.?

I am not sure about 2008-present being the greatest era of all time. What about Laver/Rosewall/Emerson? We should not forget about that era of tennis. Just because it was the 60's doesn't mean it shouldn't count.

I grew up in a golden age of tennis. I didn't know it at the time. I just thought this was the way it was. But the level of competition and the accomplishment of the players in that era, are truly extraordindary. We know all about what Rod Laver did, with records that still stand today. Roy Emerson won 12 grand slams, Ken Rosewall won a slam at the age of 39, and there was John Newcombe and Pancho Gonzales.

I think that Borg/Connors/Mac/Lendl/Wilander should be considered all in the same era. Lendl was just starting out when Borg was the dominant force in tennis. Wilander came along right after Lendl. That era certainly should be in the discussion.

I think people feel that the era they are watching is the greatest one ever. But that may not be the case.

^^^ nor should you be nny. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and is all subjective opinion. To each their own of course. My criteria is admittedly unfair because I consider not only the competitiveness but also the technical/physical level so I will tend to be biased towards current eras where techological and physiological developments allow the players to push the physical limits and the technological aspects from a strategic POV further and further.

At the same time, the eras both you and lucky reference are all amazing and produced exceptional tennis in their own right (and I certainly enjoyed them at the time also).

I loved theses eras you've both pointed out except for the Laver rosewall era which was before my time. I've seen highlights fom this era on you tube and you can still see the exceptional talent, intelligence and strategy limited only by the technology and the physical developments of that era but they certainly created amazing levels of tennis to be sure.

It is just my opinion that this latest era has the best of all of these elements. I cannot believe the level of tennis that I've witnessed from the top four in particular over the last four years.

#Respectfully

^^^^

Conspirator,

It's been so wonderful having you on this site! You have brought fun with your hashtags and helped us to deal with trolls using humor. I am grateful for your presence.

I totally appreciate your response. Also, in no way did I mean to diminish this great era of tennis. I consider myself fortunate to have watched a few great eras of tennis in my lifetime. I think because I was so young when I watched Laver and the other greats, that I didn't realize how extraordinary and special that era was at the time. It's only as I have grown up and the decades have passed that I have been able to have some perspective about that era.

I do think that we are fortunate to be watching another golden era in men's tennis. It could well go down as the greatest era ever.

Thanks for your thoughts! :)

#Grateful