The start of the 2015 Men’s tennis ATP World Tour is just two weeks away and all the top players will be in action at tournaments across Asia and Australia.
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
There will be a strong line-up in Doha where four of the top ten players: Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer, will be among the competitors at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. It will be the first appearance in Doha for Barclays ATP World Tour winner and world number one Djokovic, who will start his season before the Australian Open for the first time in five years.
This statement of intent from the Serbian was made even more interesting when it was announced that arch rival Rafa Nadal would be making his comeback from illness to defend his title at this event. The Spaniard missed the end of last season after having an appendix operation and has not played a competitive match since his defeat to teenager Borna Coric in Basel back in October.
Berdych had an inconsistent season but managed to finish with two titles after regaining his crown in Stockholm and winning the Rotterdam title. He was also a finalist in Beijing, Lisbon and Dubai.
Ferrer also bagged two titles in 2014 after setting a record with his third straight triumph in Buenos Aires and picking up the winners’ trophy in Vienna. He also finished runner-up in Cincinnati and Hamburg. His other notable achievement was defeating Rafa Nadal on clay for the first time in 17 straight matches. The win prevented Nadal from reaching the Monaco final for the first time in eleven years.
Brisbane International presented by Suncorp
Brisbane will also get to see four of the top ten ranked players in action as Roger Federer, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic start their 2015 campaigns at this popular ATP event in Australia.
Federer is on a mission to steal the world number one spot back from Novak Djokovic and will be hoping to go one better than last year when he lost in the final to Lleyton Hewitt. The Australian veteran will be back to defend his title after finishing last season at world number 50 and with two ATP 250 titles under his belt – the other being on grass in Newport.
It was a good 2014 for 24-year-old Japanese player Kei Nishikori who finally broke into the top ten with a total of four titles and two runner-up spots. The number 5 seed has proved his ability on clay and hard courts by winning titles on both surfaces and reaching the US Open and Madrid finals. He will be looking to build on his impressive form in 2015.
Another player that breached the top ten this year was Canadian Milos Raonic. The 23-year-old only managed one title – the Citi Open in Washington – but his consistency throughout the year was enough to earn him a place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals where he was forced to withdraw though injury.
Croatian star Marin Cilic will also launch his new season in Brisbane after an impressive 2014 in which he won four titles including his first Grand Slam at the US Open. The 26-year-old won four out of the five finals that he contested and ended the season at number 9 in the world rankings.
Popular Argentinan Juan Martin Del Potro will also be making a welcome appearance in Brisbane after missing most of last season after undergoing surgery on his wrist.
Aircel Chennai Open
The 20th edition of the Chennai Open will feature just one player from the current top ten as Stan Wawrinka looks to retain his 2014 crown. The line-up is still strong with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, voted the most Improved Player of the Year 2014; in-form veteran, Feliciano Lopez; and Comeback Player of 2014, David Goffin, all taking part.
Hopman Cup
Meanwhile, the remaining top-ten player, Andy Murray, will be representing Great Britain at the Hopman Cup; an invitational mixed doubles tournament in Perth, Australia. Murray will partner Heather Watson at the event as he begins his preparation for the Australian Open. Murray is hoping for a good 2015 as he continues his recover from back surgery and looks forward to his wedding to long-term partner Kim Sears.
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