Well two of the tournaments boasted some unexpected finalists but at least in Qatar the Andy's made their mark. With this win Andy Murray is definitely going to be a favourite for the Australian Open having beaten Roger Federer who I'd expect everyone to list as the favourite even if he seems to be going on a downhill curve. I think the two favourites for the title will be Djokovic and Murray and maybe we should add Federer in the mix too. I do think that Djokovic will need to perform well in Sydney before he is labeled a favourite but I have confidence that he will at least reach the semis. I think Nadal will be a possible semi finalist and if he has the luck of the draw he may even reach the finals; however I doubt he could win a hard court Grand Slam yet - maybe in 2010.
Unlike last year I don't think there will be as many unexpected shocks like Tsonga getting to the final though I'd expect a few to get to the quaterfinal stages and maybe even break into the semis. All in all this week will be crucial to see who really is the favourite for the Australian Open. Currently all eyes are on Murray after he beat Federer but if Djokovic can make a good comeback at the Medibank international I would be a fool to doubt the reigning champion!
Congratulations to Cilic and Stepanek also - nearly forgot about them, but one thing that interested me was in the three tournaments neither of the first two seeds made it to the finals Nadal/Federer, Davydenko/Wawrinka, Djokovic/Tsonga - that's a pretty strong bunch of players if you ask me! Instead all the 3rd seeds made the finals and besides Fernando Verdasco both the other 3rd seeds won the tournament - is that a sign? - by the way Djokovic should be 3rd seed in the Australian Open (wink!!)
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