2009 ATP Player of the year

[falafaclese]

Season's over! Make your pick for the player with the biggest impact this year. I actually thought about including Andre Agassi for obvious reasons, but I think it should be reserved for active players.

[lt]

Heh. Not a big surprise who I picked.

[francienolan]

With Safin retired & Hewitt not seen as a serious threat to win another Slam it's so nice that JMdP gives us another GS champ in the mix. As a Fed fan, I'm not complaining about his dominance over the past 5 years. But the Rafa/ Fed show w/ only Nole's AO interruption needed some new life & I'm glad its Juan.

I really didn't know if he was built to go the distance over a GS either emotionally or physically. But I'm thrilled he proved me wrong and hope there is a lot more to come in his future!

[falafaclese]

I've been trying to choose between JMdP and Soderling, and probably JMdP is the better conventional choice, but I'm voting for Robin Soderling. This year he managed to do what nobody has ever done before; beat Rafa at Roland Garros. Granted Rafa has been nowhere near his best since the spring hardcourt season, but before Soderling, nobody had even been able to take Rafa to 5 sets. In fact, nobody other than Fed had been able to take a set off him since 2006 at RG. In addition to that, Soderling seems to have become a threat, beat the number 2 and number 3 players in the world at the WTFs, he seems to have won over new fans, and somehow managed to make me like him. After having garnered nothing but mistrust and dislike from me in the past, he has somehow caused me to developed an affection for him. I'm calling my shrink to have my medication recalibrated.

[tikigirl]

I love your explanation, f'clese! But I have to say, with four GS finals and 2 wins, I really don't see how anyone but Federer deserves this title.

[acre]

I voted for Federer, too. Obviously I'm a big fan, but I wouldn't have voted for him in 2008, for example, that'd be silly. But as tiki says, all 4 Slam finals, 2 GS, plus they were both record-breaking. And yet it does seem not to get the same attention it did in earlier years, it's more just "oh yeah Fed is back, doing his normal thing". But his normal thing is not actually normal at all! (Got plenty of focus right at the time, but seems to have settled back down a lot.)

I could certainly see voting for JMDP, Soderling for something like player who emerged this year, player who "arrived" or whatever. They're not new players, but their results and impact this year were new.

[vallegirl]

I wanted to consider someone other than Federer, but a career slam really does trump beating Nadal at RG or even beating Federer at the Open.

As for del Potro/Soderling, they were clearly the breakout players of the year, though. They both played beyond what was expected of them, as did Verdasco, and I hope all three can continue to build on this season, because as great as one dominant rivalry may be, a lot of contenders increases the sports visibility.

[roseha]

Roger's career Slam and all time Slam record have to seal it for me. He also went to 5 sets in the other 2 Slam finals. I don't think it's close. You could give the "improved player" award to Delpotro or Soderling, as they do in the NBA I think, but that's a different thing IMO.

[Mpol]

Winning the French, claiming the career slam and equalling Pete's all time record.

Winning Wimbledon, his sixth, and then beating Pete's all time record to boot.

Winning back to back FO and Wimbledon's.

Re-claiming his #1.

Making it to all four grand slam finals.

Now making it something like 213982390970302 connsecutive GS semi finals (lost count of the real tally.)

Federer deserves this yea for me. I am a fan but... his records really do speak for themselves. Had anyone told me in May all of this would have been achieved... I would have thought they were bonkers. What a turn around. He has also manasged to gain back some wins over players he seemed to often loose to in 08.

PUTTING FEDERER ASIDE however, I don't know who I would give it to. Up until the French, Rafa would have this title. He won the Aus Open, beating Roger enroute, held onto his #1 ranking and won a few big tournaments to boot. Shame he had the bad last half of the year. Both physical and personal injuries hurt teh kid. I wonder which of the two are still plaguing his game? I really DO admire him for talking time off during his parents seperation. That is so hard on anyone of any age... and I'd suspect the guy is a family man, so this, for him would have been probably almost as bad, if not AS bad as his knee injury. Havea good rest and come back strong.

Del Potro has showed just HOW amazingly he can play in NYC. Since the US Open he hasn't backed up that win BUT did well in the end of season Championships and is entitled to a post-slam slump. Everyone has it at some point. I think he will bea REAL threat in 2010. He would probably be my choice after Roger, only because, where Rafa has declined throughout this season (of course so many factors come into this) Del Potro is SUCH a different player by seasons end. At the Aus Open, where Roger trumped him in straight sets, the kid looked too tall, and too out place, to disjointed and almost uncomfortable with himself on court. He was top ten and yet hadn't had that real brake through. Well by season's end he is beating up on everyone. The kid has HUGE potencial.

The only other person I'd consider would be Soderling. After his FO run he back up his performances in the other slams, did very well at the EOSC (End Of Season Championships) and has just had SUCH a solid year. He too has improved very well. One to watch for 2010.

[falafaclese]

I definitely agree with everyone who says that Fed had the best year. I just feel like Roger/Rafa has been the status quo for the past 4 years (Roger for longer), and then the "Big Four"have been the status quo for he past 2 years. JMdP and Soderling did the most to mix that up this year, and I think Soderling's breakthrough was more dramatic since JMdP has been doing very well over the past two years. In spite of coming to that conclusion, I fully expected that Roger would run away with it in this poll.

[oopssorry]

Not much of a surprise from me, but I think Federer's ability to recalibrate his efforts and focus himself differently in a new era - while regaining the #1 and those records - is for me his greatest accomplishment. So many players need to drop to #167 or whatever before they retool. He's been his own careful choreographer for so long and it continues to pay lots of dividends.

[falafaclese]

I'm glad there's so much interest, but why are we getting so many more votes here than for the WTA poll? C'mon people! Equal rights!

[oopssorry]

Still feeling so "meh" about the women..... But ok....

[tikigirl]

Hee, I said the same thing as oops over in the WTA poll.

[Mpol]

I voted already... and as oops has said, the WTA this year has been so eh.

I just remembered Henin is to come back... I thought about it for a second and I'm still EH!