Happy New Year! It’s time to cast your fears away, renew your commitment to all things good, stay fit and hope for an exciting next 12 months during which fame and prosperity beckon.
Also, if you happen to be a tennis professional, wish for the ‘Big Four’ to somehow fade into the sunset.
That has been pretty much the case over the past few years, and as the new tennis season gets underway, things are not too different.
The shadows of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray loom larger than ever for the ‘young guns’ and some of the underachieving older players hoping to make a splash on the world scene.
There is some early promise, though. Djokovic has pulled out of the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open with an injury and Nadal has skipped Brisbane with a knee issue.
Murray, on the other hand, is feeling refreshed after a season hampered by a hip injury and Federer just keeps on improving. He is still referred to as ‘FedExpress’, especially in his native Switzerland, for the way he used to steamroller opponents. At 36, he shows no signs of slowing down – in fact he is gliding across the court with effortless ease, not like any random high speed train, but like a Maglev.
All that makes for a “very interesting year” as Czech veteran Tomas Berdych put it during his interaction with reporters in Doha yesterday.
Berdych, 32, who has won 13 singles titles since turning pro in 2002, will be one of the players hoping to cash in on Djokovic’s absence in Doha, along with 31 other players in the draw.
But the Czech star wouldn’t commit fully to a question if the top quartet had had their time and it was time for the others to gatecrash the scene.
“It’s hard to say right now. But yes, I think it’s very possible,” said Berdych, who is seeded third in Doha and will open against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.
“I’m not saying that it’s over, but I think it’s the nature of the process of the time and of the sport.”
Berdych, who made the Wimbledon final in 2010 where he lost to Nadal, however is still hopeful of winning a Grand Slam.
“I think that’s the beauty of our sport that no matter where you are, you still have a big chance. It’s about that particular day, and from that one day you can create a great week. From one great week, you can make it two and that’s what you are looking for. To be honest, that’s the only reason why I’m still around.”
Berdych is a two-time semi-finalist in Doha where Djokovic’s absence means the tournament is wide open, unlike in previous years.
With world number five Dominic Thiem handed the pride of place in the seedings, and with only one previous winner, Richard Gasquet (2013) among the contenders, the tournament could well have a new winner.
And that is surely something to look forward to in a week’s time.

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