The year of 2016 promises to be another fantastic year of tennis action thanks to a calendar full of ATP World Tour events for the game’s stars to compete in.
Already this year we’ve seen the likes of World Number #4 Stan Wawrinka cruise to victory in the ATP 250 event in Chennai, India. After an impressive outing in the final against Borna Coric, Wawrinka was able to secure the top prize (taking his career earnings over $21 million) and take his number of career titles to 12.
While Wawrinka was taking his tally to 12 in India, World Number #1 Novak Djokovic was outlasting 31 opponents in the Doha ATP 250. Beating the likes of Fernando Verdasco and Leonardo Mayer on route to a final showdown against Rafa Nadal, Djokovic looked to be in unstoppable form. Indeed, despite a brave performance by Nadal, the match was over in straight sets, allowing Djokovic to claim his 60th title with ease.
After competing in various tournaments around the world, the top tennis pros made their way to Melbourne for the Australian Open. Ready to contest the first ATP Grand Slam of the year, the likes of Wawrinka, Djokovic and Nadal have all been in action over the past few days in search of hard court success.
As expected, many of the big names have already made it through to the third round with ease. Indeed, Roger Federer was able to beat Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets, while Djokovic, Kei Nishikori and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all followed suit.
However, as impressive as some of the game’s finest have looked on court, it was Nadal’s exit in the first round that’s become the story of the ATP season so far. Despite making it to the final of the event in Doha, Nadal struggled to find his rhythm and that showed when he arrived in Melbourne for the Australian Open. Despite being one of the top seeds, Nadal crashed out in the first round courtesy of a Verdasco drubbing.
Nadal’s Comeback Year in Trouble
At the start of the new tennis year, Nadal was hoping to bounce back from his worst season since 2004. After faltering in every major event in 2015, including the French Open, Nadal failed to pick up a Grand Slam title.
Although the ATP season is still in its infancy, the rocky start by Nadal has certainly created a storyline that a number of fans (and players) will be eager to follow in 2016. Of course, there’s no doubt the Spaniard still has the skills to compete with the best (he made the final of the ATP 250 in Doha), but there’s a definite question mark over his temperament heading into the next major Grand Slam in Paris.
As tennis fans around the world will know, the French Open is Nadal’s forte and, to date, his nine wins is more than anyone else in history. However, he’s certainly not a top pick for many fans this year. Although unfortunate for Nadal, it’s certainly good news for fans because this uncertainty could make the 2016 French Open one of the most entertaining in recent memory.
French Open 2016 One Not to be Missed
Reigning champ Djokovic will certainly enter the tournament as favourite. However, Nadal could be something of a sleeping giant as long as people keep overlooking him. Of course, he certainly won’t be among the betting outsiders before the action gets under way, but he could be the player who comes in riding a wave of lacklustre form and causes and upset.
From a fan’s perspective, that’s fantastic news as it means the French Open could well be the tournament of the year thanks to one player. Naturally, the event is likely to be a sell-out and fans are being encouraged to buy their Roland Garros tickets early to avoid disappointment. But if there’s one ATP tournament not to be missed this year it’s likely to be the French Open.
Another Action Packed ATP in 2016
Of course, the story of the Nadal and his love affair with the French Open isn’t the only story waiting to be written in 2016. The Davis Cup will be back in March and Andy Murray’s men will be looking to march towards another momentous victory by the time the final rolls around in November.
While the Davis Cup is coursing through the ATP season and providing some much needed action in between the Grand Slams, the top tennis pros will also be focusing their attention on the 2016 Rio Olympics. Running throughout August and acting as the perfect prelude to the US Open, the Olympics will be a chance for Murray to defend his gold medal in front of a global audience.
Overall, the story of the ATP 2016 so far has been the form of Nadal, but with so much tennis left to play, there will no doubt be many more headlines to come over the next few months.
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