Sports Then and Now

Andy Roddick is leading the way in the men's tennis power rankings.

With the first two Masters 1000 tournaments of the season concluded, the men’s tour shifts to the Europe clay swing. Almost all the top players were in action at both Indian Wells and Miami, providing us a clear picture of their current form. Here is this week’s power ranking for men, though it might not be a good indicator for the coming events due to the switch of playing surfaces.

The Top 10

1. Andy Roddick (Last Power Ranking: 2; ATP Ranking: 7)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [Winner]; Indian Wells [Finalist]; Memphis [Quarterfinalist]; San Jose [Finalist]

Power Ranking Points: 1232

Making into the finals at both Indian Wells and Miami and winning the latter, Andy Roddick was no doubt the most successful player in the past four weeks. The veteran showed that he has every intention of making the 2010 season one of his best. With an unbreakable service game and a full confidence in his mental toughness and match tactics, look for the American to go deep in all the tournaments he enters.

2. Tomas Berdych (Last Power Ranking: 1; ATP Ranking: 16)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [Finalist]; Indian Wells [Quarterfinalist]; Memphis [Quarterfinalist]; San Jose [Quarterfinalist]

Power Ranking Points: 678

Tomas Berdych almost duplicated his dream run in the 2005 Paris Masters, when he won his lone Masters shield. With three wins against top 10 players, Roger Federer (R16), Fernando Verdasco (Q) and Robin Soderling (S), Berdych showed why he is a former top 10 player. Unfortunately he ran in to Roddick in the final at Miami, against whom he has already lost twice this season at San Jose and Brisbane.

3. Robin Soderling (Last Power Ranking: 3; ATP Ranking: 8)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [Semifinalist]; Indian Wells [Semifinalist]; Marseille [Quarterfinalist]; Rotterdam [Winner]

Power Ranking Points: 549

Robin Soderling did not start the 2010 season well, losing in the first round at the Australian Open, but has since played solid tennis. He made to the semifinals at both Indian Wells and Miami, losing to eventual runner-up on both occasions. As the runner-up at last year’s French Open, the upcoming clay-court season might promise even more for the free-swinging Swede.

4. Rafael Nadal (Last Power Ranking: 4; ATP Ranking: 3)

Rafael Nadal has reached the semifinals of his last two tournament.

ast Four Tournaments: Miami [Semifinalist]; Indian Wells [Semifinalist]; Australian Open [Quarterfinalist]; Doha [Finalist]

Power Ranking Points: 528

Ever since he retired at the Australian Open against Andy Murray, endless questions have been asked about Rafael Nadal’s chances to bounce back from his knee problems. At both Indian Wells and Miami, Nadal showed that he still means business, though losing to the eventual champion in the semifinals in both events. A switch to the red-dirt is surely a welcome change for the clay king.

5. Ivan Ljubicic (Last Power Ranking: 1; ATP Ranking: 14)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [R128]; Indian Wells [Winner]; Dubai [Quarterfinalist]; Rotterdam [R32]

Power Ranking Points: 361

Ivan Ljubicic enjoyed a dream run to his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, but had to retire in his first match at Miami due to a back injury. Hopefully this injury will not be too big a setback as Ljubicic showed that he still has what it takes to be successful on the ever so competitive men’s tour.

6. Roger Federer (Last Power Ranking: 6; ATP Ranking: 1)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [R16]; Indian Wells [R32]; Australian Open [Winner]; Doha [Semifinalist]

Power Ranking Points: 312

The performance of Roger Federer at the two Masters 1000 events must have come as a shock to many of his fans. In both events, Federer lost in the early rounds. But more alarmingly, he lost while holding match points in both matches. Federer will have a few weeks off to fine-tuning his game for the next Masters 1000 event at Rome, on clay.

7. Mikhail Youzhny (Last Power Ranking: NR; ATP Ranking: 13)

Mikhail Youzhny

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [Quarterfinalist]; Dubai [Finalist]; Rotterdam [Finalist]; Australian Open [R32]

Power Ranking Points: 287

Mikhail Youzhny has played some solid tennis since the Australian Open, making into back-to-back finals at Rotterdam and Dubai. But he has been unable to solve the Soderling puzzle, losing to the Swede at both Rotterdam and Miami. If he can keep up his current form, another ATP top 10 appearance is quite possible for the Russian.

8. Nicolas Almagro (Last Power Ranking: NR; ATP Ranking: 34)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [Quarterfinalist]; Indian Wells [R16]; Acapulco [Quarterfinalist]; Buenos Aires [R32]

Power Ranking Points: 246

Solid efforts at both Indian Wells and Miami propelled Nicolas Almagro into our PR top 10. However, he is yet to beat a ATP top 10 player this year. The Spaniard is capable of doing more damage on clay, so it won’t be a big surprise if he upsets one of the top seeds in the coming events.

9. David Ferrer (Last Power Ranking: OLI; ATP Ranking: 17)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [R16]; Indian Wells [R128]; Acapulco [Winner]; Buenos Aires [Finalist]

Power Ranking Points: 215

David Ferrer is still looking to recapture his form in 2007 when he made into the the final of the Master Cup. He played well on clay at both Buenos Aires and Acapulco. So look for him to make some deep runs during the clay-court season.

10. Juan Carlos Ferrero (Last Power Ranking: 9; ATP Ranking: 15)

Last Four Tournaments: Miami [R16]; Indian Wells [R32]; Acapulco [Finalist]; Buenos Aires [Winner]

Power Ranking Points: 201

Yet another Spaniard in our PR top 10, Juan Carlos Ferrero has been playing well in the last two months, making into the finals at all three tournaments during the South American clay-court swing, winning two of them. With his confidence back, look for the former French Open champion to do a lot of damage during the Europe clay-court swing.

Outside Looking In

Andy Murray (Last Power Ranking: 5; ATP Ranking: 4)

Power Ranking Points: 199

The performance of Andy Murray since the Australian Open has been quite poor. Maybe the defeat in the final against Federer did more damage than we thought.

Novak Djokovic (Last Power Ranking: 7; ATP Ranking: 2)

Power Ranking Points: 163

Though Novak Djokovic successfully defended his Dubai title, it was obvious that the Serb was struggling with his game. Hopefully he will be able to find his groove on the red-dirt, as he is one of the best clay-courter on the current men’s tour.

Fernando Gonzalez (Last Power Ranking: NR; ATP Ranking: 11)

Power Ranking Points: 154

Fernando Gonzalez skipped Indian Wells due to the earthquake in Chile. He then organized a “Champions for Chile” exhibition match at Miami. Let us all pray for the people whose life were affected by the massive earthquake.