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.

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Though he is not near Roger Federer in the ATP Tour rankings, Sam Querry's recent performance puts him ahead of Federer in the weekly power rankings.

With the exception of Novak Djokovic, the ATP top five has not competed since the conclusion of the Australian Open. Since then, there have been two ATP 500 events, which shook up the power rankings quite a bit. With Roger Federer and Andy Murray back in action in Dubai, there will definitely be more drama in coming weeks. But first,
here is this week’s list.

The Top 10

1. Sam Querrey (Last Power Ranking: NR; ATP Ranking: 22)
Last Four Tournaments: Memphis [Winner]; San Jose [Semifinalist]; Australian Open [R128]; Sydney [R32]
Power Ranking Points: 548

With his title run in Memphis and a semifinal effort in San Jose, Querrey accumulated just enough power ranking points to edge Federer as this week’s top dog.

Though unranked in the last installment, this is not the debut of Querrey on the power rankings. He had a very successful several weeks last summer and won the US Open Series, so it is not surprising that he is doing well again on home soil.

He plays in Acapulco this week, where he will clash with the No. 2 seed Fernando Gonzalez in the first round. If not too tired, he should provide a stern test for Gonzo.

2. Roger Federer (Last Power Ranking: 1; ATP Ranking: 1)
Last Four Tournaments: Australian Open [Winner]; Doha [Semifinalist]; London [Semifinalist]; Paris [R64]
Power Ranking Points: 544

Ok, Federer at No. 2, not a very familiar position for the tennis ace. But, this is mainly due to his inactivity in the past three weeks. Should he perform well in Dubai this week, he has a good chance to get back where he belongs.

With the extreme calm and confidence he showed in Australia, Federer seems to have regained that “invincibility” aura, which should be a worrisome sign to all the other top guns.

This past Monday, Federer passed Ivan Lendl on the “most weeks as ATP No. 1” list. Next up, Pete Sampras’ 286 weeks. If Federer can retain his No. 1 ranking through Roland Garros, then he will pass Sampras’ mark before Wimbledon. Read the rest of this entry →