Top ten of tennis 2013

1. Nadal’s comeback
Rafael Nadal missed 7 months of tennis from July ’12- February ’13 and tennis missed him. But he certainly made up for his absence, coming back to dominate the 2013 season. Titles in Mexico and Brazil on clay were no surprise but few expected him to win the Indian Wells trophy. That win was an indicator that Nadal’s ’13 was not going to be all about the Clay. While he did clean up there, winning Rome, Madrid and Roland Garros, the Spaniard recovered from a first round exit in Wimbledon to win Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open, finishing the season at number one for the third time in his career.

2. Serena’s clay court season
Serena Williams does not have anything to prove. But time and time again her demons drive her on and she comes out playing like she does. Those demons in this context being that 2012 first round loss to Razzano in Paris. And what she proved in ’13, winning clay titles in Charleston, Rome, Madrid, Roland Garros and Bstaad, is how close she is to being in the mix in the Greatest women’s player of all time debate. With another gap filled on her CV, a gap of repeated clay court prowess, a gap many argued meant her claims to GOAT were shaky, Serena once again shook the tennis world up.

3. Wawrinka versus Djokovic Australian open fourth round.
The year’s stand out match. We all knew Wawrinka had it in him to challenge the top four. We just did not expect him to do it in such fine, courageous style on a surface on which his opponent Novak Djokovic has proven himself to be the very best. And serving two sets to one and a break up, it looked like Wawrinka might do more than merely challenge the Serbian in the last sixteen in Melbourne. In a battle which pitched single handed backhands against double, a will to move forward versus the most dogged back-court game in the business and possibility versus certainty, the world number one won a match which laughed at the idea of losers.

4. Bartoli’s Wimbldon win
Who predicted this? No one of course predicted lots of things about Wimbledon ’13 but Bartoli’s win was the thing that got our jaws dropping in a fortnight of jaw-droppers. Bartoli came through a ravaged draw to make the final for the second time and took advantage of her experience losing to Venus in ’07 and of a nervous, tearful Lisicki. Bartoli attacked, kept the ball in play and kept her mind in check to win the title and thump an exclamation mark on an extraordinary career at an equally extraordinary Wimbledon.

5. Del Potro vs Djokovic Wimbledon semi-finals.
There is something very beguiling about Del Potro. It is the way the 6’6′ star looks like he is about to fall asleep standing up only to suddenly explode into movement to rescue a ball that looks to be out of reach and then blasts a forehand winner. The man has power, wings and charm in abundance and had the center court cheering for him as he came back in the fourth set to take the match of the tournament to a decider. While Djokovic edged out the contest, Del Potro edged him out in the popularity stakes, and a center court crowd behind him might see Del Potro one day go much further than a gallant last four exit.

6. Murray’s Wimbledon win.
The first Brit to win since Perry, Murray kept his head when all about were losing theirs. Verdasco could not finish him, Janowicz lacked the experience and Djokovic was out of gas after a grueling first half of the season. The stars lined up for Murray and with everyone doing their bit, the crowd in particular who were as loud and boisterous as bagpipes, Murray made sure he did his, too. Playing as consistently as a world number three does, keeping his temper in check and taking his chances, Murray did British tennis all it could ask of him, and with a coolness and charm that was actually a little bit more than we deserved.

7. Gasquet vs Wawrinka French open last sixteen.
Fan of single handed backhands? If you can find this match, put it on play, and then on replay. Back and forth the momentum went, but the quality of play never dipped. Two players of enormous potential but yet to deliver battling it out on the game’s most demanding surface on which their single handed backhanders sat up ready to be flaired back in a ‘you-show-me-yours-and-I’ll-show-you-mine’ contest that had everything a tennis match could have with a heart that went unmatched in ’13.

8. Robredo’s comeback.
Tommy Robredo fought his way through the Roland Garros draw to the last eight with the steel one would expect of a man who did not allow a knee injury, a fall out of the world’s top 100 and turning 30 get in the way of another Grand Slam quarter-final. Winning five setters against Monfils, Sisling and Amalgro, Robredo’s emotional reactions to his comeback wins were real tinglers. His season just kept getting more tingly, too, with a title in Umag and a superbly thought out victory over Federer in the US Open fourth round.

9. Isner vs Haas French Open.
Two of the game’s biggest stylists put on a show in the early rounds of Roland Garros, going 10-8 in the fifth in favor of the German. Isner has put his clinical big serve and forehand game to great effect on the red stuff and Haas has every shot in the book and some that did not quite make it into the final edit. Put these two styles together and add the fight both these men put into every match and you have a captivating contest which carved its way into the long list of all time great Roland Garros duels.

10. Venus in the first rounds of Majors.
Check out Venus’ matches versus Ulla Radwanska in the first round of Roland Garros and Jie Zheng in New York to see Venus showcasing how Champions go down fighting.