I think he has his eye on the AO.

November 17th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

Groupings for the 8-man field will be announced Wednesday at London’s Millennium Eye.
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How will they decide this draw?

November 17th, 2009 at 2:10 pm

Sar,

the draw is being ‘drawn’ at random by Jacqui Baltro, sky sports news journo on wednesday. She announced it yesterday morning.

November 17th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

I’m not sure how the draw works, othe than we know going in Federer and nadal are automically at the head of their respective groups, right? And then Murray and Djokovic are drawn to see which group they go in? And then the rest are drawn normally. Is that right?

November 17th, 2009 at 3:37 pm

I thought each pair (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8) were all drawn into one group or the other. Like 1/2 and 3/4, I don’t believe 5 and 6 or 7 and 8 will be in the same draw.

November 17th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

no1 and no2 can´t be in the same group
no3 and no4 can´t be in the same group
no5 and no6 can´t be in the same group
no7 and no8 can´t be in the same group

November 17th, 2009 at 5:31 pm

Sad for Roddick and Welcome Soderling. Soderling had a year of his life..highlight in Roland garros. I am glad he got a chance to play London. Would like to see a Roland garros Rematch – Rafa/soderling.

November 17th, 2009 at 6:33 pm

still hate soderling. :)

November 17th, 2009 at 8:11 pm

“Federer can secure the No. 1 ranking by reaching the final.” Thats wrong.. federer can even secure the NO 1 ranking by winning all his 3 RR matches irrespective of wat Nadal does.. Also a lot depends on how Nadal performs depending on which even winning one RR would suffice..

November 17th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

Since it’s in London does that mean Murray will have all the night matches or will they rotate?

November 17th, 2009 at 10:05 pm

That’s too bad for Roddick. But it was pretty much expected. He didn’t do too well last year as he was injured so it’s not like he has much to defend. I still remember in 2007 though, when he has Fed on the ropes, a couple of match points I think.

That all said, it’s also kind of nice that Soderling gets a shot, as he has had such a great year overall, and he and Verdasco, two break through players this season, both seem like perfect fits for the WTF.

I think this year’s line up is really competitive; it’s difficult to predict what will happen.

November 17th, 2009 at 10:46 pm

Jane, I think it’s pretty obvious: Djokovic is gonna win the whole thing and Federer is gonna surrender his number 1 in humiliating fashion.

November 17th, 2009 at 11:02 pm

I don´t see Djoko so dominant, he played against
Nadal´s shadow in Paris.It´s difficult to predict but Roger plays well when it really matters.Hope he will do well in London.

November 17th, 2009 at 11:20 pm

Always with the Nadal “shadow”. I don’t care who he beat, he beat everyone he faced and he’ll do the same in London.

November 18th, 2009 at 12:25 am

Poor Roddick. Well, it’s a chance to rest up and get ready for next year.

November 18th, 2009 at 1:15 am

Soderling’s qualification following Roddick’s withdrawal will make things tougher for Nadal. In his group, Nadal will now draw either Djokovic or Murray, Del Potro or Davydenko, and Verdasco or Soderling. If Murray and Verdasco end up in Federer’s group, things will be really tough for Nadal, as he would be drawn to play against players who have beaten him the last time they played: Del Potro won the last 3 meetings, Djokovic won the last 2 meetings in straight sets, and who can forget Soderling pulling that huge upset this past summer at Roland Garros? Rafa needs to win at the minimum two RR matches in order to have a chance to overtake the #1 spot assuming Roger loses all his matches (unlikely). It would be a great tournament if the semifinal features Federer vs. Nadal with the #1 spot on the line but I doubt we’ll see that happening. There are just way too many good players that will prevent that from happening.

November 18th, 2009 at 1:28 am

That’s really sad for Roddick was looking forward to seeing him play

November 18th, 2009 at 2:44 am

Federer
Murray
Del Potro
Verdasco

Nadal
Đokovic
Davydenko
Söderling

November 18th, 2009 at 6:34 am

Here from the ATP site are the varying scenarios for the YE No. 1 ranking:

1. If Nadal is an undefeated champion at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (winning all-three round-robin matches, a semi-final and final) he will earn the maximum 1,500 points. If that happens, Federer would need to either win all three round-robin matches OR reach the final to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

2. If Nadal goes 2-1 in round-robin play and wins the title he will earn 1,300 points. If that happens, Federer would need to either win two round-robin matches OR win one round-robin match and reach the final to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

3. If Nadal goes 3-0 in round-robin play, wins his semi-final but loses the final he will earn 1,000 points. If that happens, Federer would need only to win one round-robin match to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

November 18th, 2009 at 7:11 am

I want to give a brief explanation for my absence since the U.S. Open. I have a major exam and proposal I need to clear with my PhD program and it is going slowly, but it is pulling a lot of time. I am working on a column that is not tour related so much so I am holding it until after the YEC. Anyway, Sean, a person I have never met, has really done a great job pulling the load here. So has the mysterious “staff” writer. Anyway, I look forward to writing more and soon.

November 18th, 2009 at 9:13 am

Hmmm….could this be the beginning of the end for Roddick? I mean, he’s alway fought hard and all of the sudden he’s pulling out of tournaments left and right. I’m a little disappointed with his withdraw. Let’s hope that 2010 will be a good year for him.
As far as the Barclay’s Final, Federer will take the title, though I think Soderling will put up a good fight.

November 18th, 2009 at 8:11 pm

No one is talking about Davydenko, as though he doesn’t exist. He wins master’s events when least expected. His game can trouble all the top guys. I’m viewing him as a dark horse.

Roddick is in the twilight of his disappointing career. Disappointing in the sense he had the misfortune to play during Federer’s era. If Federer didn’t exist Roddick would have certainly captured a couple Wimbledon crowns and another U.S Open title. He would be viewed in a much different light. More on the lines of great American players like Connors, McEnroe, Agassi, and Sampras. He will go down like Michael Chang did, winning one grand slam early in his career and never another one because better more talented players prevented it.

November 20th, 2009 at 7:57 am