Wow!
There was a commotion and the buzz of discussion was like a carbonated drink that has been shaken vigorously and then had its cap unscrewed. It exploded in all directions.
Toronto, Murray tops the list.
Federer wins Cincinnati.
Djokovic, on the other hand, reached the finals in both Toronto and Cincinnati but lost both times.
This is definitely a scene that has not been experienced so far this year. The ATP melee seems to have reached a new peak in the North American season.
The point is not about Murray's championship or Federer's championship. Both of them are giant players, and their victories are very convincing. There is nothing to question.
The key point is actually Djokovic's "weakness". The end of his seven-game winning streak against Murray and three-game winning streak against Federer is just a microcosm, which once again awakens the memory of losing to Gawain in the Australian Open final and losing to Wawrinka in the French Open final. Everything seems familiar.
There is no doubt that the world number one is stable and strong. He is very dominant. He advanced to the finals in all three Grand Slams this year. So far, he has reached at least the semi-finals in all seven Masters tournaments except Madrid, where he did not participate. Such performance is enough to stand out from the crowd and he deserves to be the world number one.
However, Djokovic has repeatedly encountered setbacks in the finals. From Gawain to Wawrinka, players with more explosiveness and impact have always been able to defeat him. Now in the North American summer hard court season, from Murray to Federer, both have ended their losing streaks, and it is the finals again.
So what does this mean? It's certainly something for Djokovic and his coaching staff to consider, but there's no doubt that the playing field is wide open at the US Open.
The overall situation of the first three Grand Slams so far this year is relatively clear -
In the spring season, Gao Wen was in a class of his own, sweeping the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Open.
In the clay court season, Djokovic and Murray entered Roland Garros undefeated.
In the grass season, Djokovic and Murray once again maintained their undefeated record at Wimbledon.
Of course, "all wins" does not mean that a player will definitely win the championship, but it is a situation, a situation, and the winning echelon is clear at a glance. Although the ATP is facing an all-out melee between the Challenger League and the Youth Storm, overall, the focus is still relatively concentrated.
But now? This time in Flushing, it’s different—
There is no absolute dominance, no leading the way, and no biggest favorite.
The only one who can be considered "unbeaten" is Federer. His strong performance in Cincinnati without losing a set was indeed very convincing, but Federer missed the Rogers Cup, and his physical condition and injuries need to be questioned; he can't be said to have a perfect record in one tournament.
After all, next up is the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year; it is also the Grand Slam with the most unexpected situations due to injuries, physical fitness, and mental pressure. No one has been able to defend the men's singles championship for six years since Federer. This is the most intuitive set of evidence.
Looking back at last year, the shocking upset of both Federer and Djokovic being eliminated in the semifinals is still shocking even now, a year later.
This year, the unknown has reached new heights.
Perhaps, Federer, Murray, and Djokovic can be considered the first tier, but everyone has their own shortcomings and their advantages are not obvious.
Perhaps, the Challenger League can bring surprises, from Chardy in Toronto to Dolgopolov in Cincinnati, to Wawrinka and Gasquet whose performances have clearly improved throughout the season, as well as Lopez and Cilic who are slowly recovering, plus Nadal who is in an unknown state.
Perhaps, the youth storm can seize the opportunity again, not only Raonic, Dimitrov, Tomic and others, but also a group of younger rising stars, Thiem, Zverev, Cilic, Rublev, etc., and a group of players who have not been heard of yet.
Everything is possible.
At this moment, one can deeply feel the excitement of this year's ATP, which is about to reach a new height in New York, and will truly present a situation of a hundred schools of thought contending with each other. The head-on collision will then usher in the peak showdown at the Forbidden City in Flushing.
Who can reach the top?
Who will be the surprise? Who will overturn the situation? In fact, after the Cincinnati Open ended, it can be seen from the world rankings that the much-anticipated battle for the world's No. 1 has temporarily come to an end. Djokovic will be able to firmly hold the world's No. 1 throne until after the US Open. The biggest suspense has ended.
Although Gao Wen reached the semi-finals in Toronto, he unfortunately missed Cincinnati and failed to further improve his ranking points; on the contrary, Djokovic performed well this year, and just like the clay court season, he went one step further than last year's performance. Although he did not win the championship, his ranking points increased instead of decreased.
The gap widened again.
First, Djokovic, 13915.
Second, Gao Wen, 11620.
Third, Federer, 9415.
Fourth, Murray, 8040.
The ranking position has not changed, but the score gap has changed significantly.
The points gap between Djokovic and Koeman, and between Koeman and Federer, has both widened to more than 2,000 points, which is a very obvious gap.
That is to say, in the upcoming US Open, even if Galvin defends his title and Djokovic is eliminated in the first round, the world's number one throne will not change; similarly, even if Federer tops the list and Galvin is eliminated in the first round, the world's second and third rankings will not change, and everything will remain the same.
but!
If Gawain fails to defend his title, the points gap between Gawain and Djokovic will be completely widened, and perhaps the suspense of the world's number one at the end of this year can be ended early.
Precisely because of this, although the world number one will not change in the short term, the suspense of the world ranking is still worth looking forward to, as it affects the trend of the entire second half of the season.
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Fifth, Wawrinka.
Sixth, Kei Nishikori.
Seventh, Berdych.
Eighth, Ferrer.
Ninth, Nadal.
Tenth, Cilic.
Although there are not many changes, Raonic has fallen out of the top ten in the world like Dimitrov, while Cilic has quietly returned to the top ten.
Next, Cilic also has to defend his US Open runner-up points, which is also a tough challenge for Cilic.
Compared with Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the battle for the world's number one is no longer the focus, but the situation of a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending among the heroes is more exciting and more interesting. Just analyzing it on paper, there are too many possibilities.
When I imagine it, I can't control my excitement and thrill.
There are highlights and suspense among the giants, including Nadal who is in a slump.
The Challenger Alliance and Youth Storm also have their own highlights, with countless known and unknown situations.
There was a constant hustle and bustle, but in the midst of all this heated discussion, I always felt that something was missing. It didn't take much effort to find the crux of the problem.
Gao Wen.
Gao Wen, who has always been the focus of attention since the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, has become the focus of attention at the US Open. However, Gao Wen is still recovering from his injury and inevitably feels a little lonely.
So, what about Gawain?