MY GUIDE TO A SMASHING NEW YEAR
JAMIE MURRAY SERVES UP HIS HOPES FOR NEW SEASON
Tennis has an exciting year ahead. This coming season is set up to be one of the most fascinating in a long time. We have so many big names coming back — my brother, novak Djokovic, stan Wawrinka and serena Williams — and nobody is quite sure how any of them are going to get on.
Rafael nadal and Roger Federer dominated in 2017 but they are going to be challenged more this time. We are going to see whether the old guard can hold on in men’s tennis or if those who did well at the O2 Arena, like Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin, are going to establish themselves among the true elite. The women’s game again looks wide open.
I CAN’T WAIT FOR AUSTRALIA
iT is not surprising that the Australian Open is known as the ‘happy slam’ when you think about it. Probably three quarters of the field have been in the middle of winter and are heading to the Australian summer: players are fresh after a break and eager to go. it is a great sports city and the location of Melbourne Park is amazing, just 10 minutes’ walk from the centre of town. The courts have been fairly quick there for the last two years and it will be interesting to see if that is the case again. i’m among those who can’t wait to get stuck in.
PERSONAL GOALS
The aim at the start of any year is to end up among the top- eight teams who contest the ATP Finals. Wimbledon is, of course, always a target for myself and Bruno soares, my doubles partner, but something we will also be looking at is the French Open. This year we missed a match point before losing our quarter-final when we were probably the strongest pairing left in the tournament, so that was a major disappointment. We have never won it and any Brit enjoying success on the clay in Paris is quite a rarity, so it’s a big goal to do well there.
ONES TO WATCH
i’M going to be very interested to see the progress of Britain’s Cameron norrie. he is 22 and had an incredible season at Challenger level after leaving college in the Us. he should now get a crack at bigger tournaments. he is a left-hander with a great backhand and he is pretty smart, you can see why opponents don’t like facing him. Russian Andrey Rublev, 20, made big strides last year and has a lot of talent. i also like the look of a young French 18-year-old, Corentin Moutet.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
i WAnT to find a solution to some knee problems that have been bothering me. it’s not too bad but for six months i’ve been suffering a bit of grief. One thing i am really going to try and cut out is my weakness for sweets. Quite often i find myself confronted by a jar full of them and i can’t resist dipping my hand in. i eat a bit too much rubbish generally and i need to get more disciplined about that.
BRING ON THE NEW ERA OF TENNIS
The use of the shot clock measuring time taken between points seems to be spreading and that can only be a good thing. While properly enforcing the 25- second rule speeds the game up for spectators, i see it as a fairness issue as well. it suits some players to try and take 35 seconds but the fact is that it is against the rules. Umpires have been very inconsistent with this over the years.
WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO IN THE OFF-SEASON
The old season only just seems to have finished and there is precious little time to get your breath back. My wife and i thought about going away but to be honest it’s just great to be at home for a bit and sleeping in your own bed. i have been on a British doubles training camp this month at Boca Raton in Florida under the leadership of our specialist coach, Louis Cayer, with some of the upcoming GB doubles players like Joe salisbury. But there is not much time before our first event of the season — the Qatar Open which starts on new Year’s Day — before heading to Australia.
WHAT I’M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO
An occupational hazard for any tennis player is what happens when you lose and the logistic arrangements that have to be made. You aren’t feeling happy anyway and then you have to go back to the hotel, go online or phone a travel agent and sort your next lot of flights and accommodation. But, in truth, there are not many downsides to our job, so you cannot complain.
WHO WILL DOMINATE
i WOULD be surprised if nadal and Federer carry off the slams between them like they did this year. i think if Andy, novak and stan are back fit and fully motivated they will get right back to the top fairly quickly. i know that Andy is absolutely determined and it’s good for these players that the Australian Open is right in front of them. i don’t see any new names quite ready to dislodge them. Others are coming back, like Kei nishikori and Milos Raonic. Juan Martin del Potro will be dangerous if he stays healthy.
TRENDS FOR NEW SEASON
i’LL be interested to see if top players have looked at Federer and, especially with a view to protecting their bodies, try to shorten the points by taking the ball on more and being more aggressive. You could see that happening with the likes of Andy or novak, for example. Doubles champion Jamie Murray has signed a multi-year deal to play with the high-performance Dunlop CX2.0 racket, available from March.