[1] Djokovic vs Qualifier
Qualifier vs [WC] Zhang
Qualifier vs Robredo
Thiem vs [6] Isner
[4] Ferrer vs Bellucci
Qualifier vs Rosol
[WC] Lu vs Mannarino
Troicki vs [5] Raonic[8] Tsonga vs Haider-Maurer
Sock vs Gabashvili
Pospisil vs Estrella Burgos
[WC] Di Wu vs [3] Nadal
[7] Goffin v Seppi
Fognini vs Klizan
Garcia Lopez vs Karlovic
Cuevas vs [2] Berdych Source
Hi, folks. So finally it is time for some serious tennis again after a three-week break since the US Open. Not that there hasn’t been any tennis since then. But Beijing and Tokyo are the first ATP level events where any of the big four will be involved again. There will be no big four players involved in Tokyo where Stan will be the top seed and Nishikori the second seed. But in Beijing Djokovic and Nadal will be back.
They are not drawn in the same half which is a bit of a shame as that would have made it more likely for them to meet. Instead, Nadal is in Berdych’s half and he has Tsonga in his quarter. So making the final will be a tough ask for him but not entirely out of the question. I for once wouldn’t mind if he finds some form because I want to see Djokovic beat him a few more times before he retires.
Djokovic’s draw is as friendly as it gets in the first two rounds and then he could play Isner, but I am hoping it is Thiem. The second quarter should be interesting because Ferrer and Raonic both won titles in the last couple of weeks in Kuala Lumpur and St. Petersberg. We had some discussions about Djokovic on my blog as far as what his form will be like for the indoor season. People have been saying since the beginning of the clay court season that he could be burned out.
#6 coming up?
So I won’t consider that possibility much before I see it. It happened at this point in the season in 2011 where Djokovic had a very similar season to 2015 but back then he had a more defensive game style so I’m not just going to assume the same thing is going to happen. 2011 was Djokovic’s breakthrough season and 2015 had a different feel to it. I think he was better prepared for it this time and is less likely to be burned out.
But the US Open was the big one. He could lose every match from now until the end of the season and he’d still easily be number one and have had a tremendous season. So there is little pressure but still a lot to play for. If he wins Beijing, one Masters, and the World Tour Finals he would have won more Masters than Federer did in 2006 and he could rival Federer for the best tennis season in history. And he could surpass his own 2011 season.
This Part of the Season is Exciting
Personally, I am very much looking forward to the indoor season. Some tennis fans seem to write this part of the tennis season off, but I can’t wait to see if Djokovic can add to an already unbelievably season and for the Djokerer rivalry to continue. Fedfans will be desperately hoping that their man could get at least one win over Djokovic in the season that has historically probably been his best.
Especially after yet another slam final loss to the superior Djokovic. And no doubt Federer would have a good shot given the long season Djokovic had. Djokovic already started showing signs of a drop in level in Montreal and Cincy. So it could easily happen in the indoor season again. If that happens Federer better make the best of his good fortune and get a much-needed win over Djokovic.
He keeps losing the important matches to Djokovic like last year when he lost the all-important Wimbledon final which swung the season in Djokovic’s favor. This year it was two slam final losses, so things are getting worse for him. I don’t think he is beating Djokovic in a slam again but for the head-to-head respectability at least he needs to try and get some more wins in smaller events. Some more meetings in Shanghai, Paris, or London will be very interesting anyway.
Djokodal with the Thai prime minister
They can only meet in the finals of the first two or after the group stages of London and that will already be very interesting. It will also be interesting to see how Nadal fares in the indoor season which has not been kind to him historically because he needs to end a dismal season on a high. You can see the schedule of the big four plus Stan and Nishikori for the fall here. Nadal is playing a full schedule and so is Stan and Nishikori.
Djokovic and Federer are playing four events each while Murray cut his schedule for Davis Cup to three events. I think good bets to win Beijing and Basel would be Djokovic and Federer respectively. Shanghai, Paris, and London especially will be the most interesting events. If Djokovic is in top form he will win all these events but if he feels the strain of a long season Federer especially will want to capitalize.
Next year there won’t be many chances when Djokovic comes back refreshed and ready to dominate the tennis world with an iron fist.
You probably know about the exhibition match Djokovic and Nadal played in Bangkok, Thailand a couple of days ago in which Djokovic routined Nadal 6-4, 6-2 as you would expect. From the highlights below you can see Djokovic’s returns looked absolutely lethal and if this exho is anything to go by then Djokovic will dominate the indoor season the way he dominated the rest of 2015. Looking forward!
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