The first Masters 1000 of the season will start with four first-level defections: Juan Martin Del Potro, Mikhail Youzhny and Stanislas Wawrinka withdrew because of injuries while Fernando "Mano de Piedra" Gonzalez preferred remain in Chile play an exhibition event given for charity to help his country wasted by the recent earthquake.

The tournament will help to solve the doubts about the actual condition of the Fab Four. Roger Federer, at Indian Wells since 5-6 days training with Paganini, will start against Hanescu or Chela for a theorical tight third round clash against Marcos Baghdatis. Then Stepanek, or Robredo, and a possible quarter against Roddick (very easy draw for the American till the quarters), without forgetting the Davis Cup hero David Nalbandian. In the first half of the draw there's also Andy Murray, coming back after the wrist injury, who'll debut against the Italian Andreas Seppi or the American Robbie Ginepri. Possible round 16 against Ivo Karlovic (definitely not so easy) and an extremely likely quarters with Soderling or Tsonga could characterize his tournament.

The higher part of the draw the hypothetical second round derby between the pure physical energy of Gael Monfils, and the under-achieving prodigy genius Richard Gasquet can be the hot spot during the first days.

In the lower part of the draw the main interest is predictably Rafa Nadal's knee. The Mallorcan, on the lowest possible hardcourt, will have a light start against a qualifier then Mario Ancic (welcome back) or Benneteau, then a risky round 16 with one of the American boomers John Isner or Sam Querrey. In the quarters likely revenge against Kolya Davydenko; alternatively he could face Fernando Verdasco, traditionally knelt down before the Mallorcan (but he should defeat Thomas Berdych in the third round, an the Czech is proverbially unpredictable), or the rejuvenated Ernests Gulbis who won his first Atp title in Delray Beach and could face Davydenko in the second round.

Novak Djokovic quarter of the draw is apparently the poorer. The Serb, who played an impressively high amount of matches in the last period, will commence against Fish or Berrer, benefitting from the work with the new Italian coach Claudio Pistolesi, then Kohlschreiber and a possible quarter to Cilic and a thrilling semi with Rafa Nadal.

Hypothetical quarters
Federer - Roddick Possible upset: Monfils.
Soderling - Murray Possible upset: Tsonga
Davydenko - Nadal Possible upset: Querrey, Gulbis, Berdych
Cilic - Djokovic Possible upset: Ljubicic

The draw

What were Sam Querrey and John Isner doing in Acapulco? Why, after reaching the final in Memphis, the two Americans chose to go, and lose, in Mexico and not to Delray Beach? Surely not only because Acapulco is an Atp-500, while Delray Beach is a 250. Evidently not only for the appeal of Mexican girls and beaches.

The answer could come from the approaching Davis Cup. For the first time in his captaincy Patrick McEnroe will be without Andy Roddick and James Blake in the hostile Serbia. And the changing of guard promoted Isner and Querrey. Big serrving Sam lost 76 in the third by Fernando Gonzalez while Isner surrendered 76 75 to Simon Greul from Germany.

Querrey has an outstanding serve and a more consistent baseline game than Isner off the backhand side. But John, who learnt to vary his serve without losing in pace, and confirmed a dangerous inside-out forehand, is no more wary to use his backhand in attacking mood, to force points. But they remain typical stars-and-striped hardcourts players.

The two hasn't great experience and feeling with the red clay: Isner is 5-4 in career, Querrey 6-15, but he reached the quarters in the 2008 Montecarlo Masters defeating Carlos Moya and Richard Gasquet. Isner will debut in Davis, while Sam Querrey played in the 2008 tie against Spain, on the clay, and won a set against Rafa Nadal before losing the dead rubber to Feliciano Lopez.

But their presence in the third, and last, event of the so-called South-American Gira could be linked to the more and more probable change of surface in the immediate future of this tournament, and the others composing the mini-tour: Santiago, Costa do Sauipe and Buenos Aires.

The proposal to abandon clay, now that the 73% of ATP points arrives from a surface different from the clay, started some years ago, but now the theory seems nearer to become true. Martin Jaite, director of the Buenos Aires tournament, last october officially informed Atp of his desire to pass to hardcourts from 2011. And the legend Butch Buchholz, 69, president of Athenis, society who manages the event, and also inventor of the New Haven tournament and above all of the Miami Masters, the first to hypothesize the change now insists in underlining the positive effects of the little big revolution. "Buenos Aires has to pass to hardcourts" said to Maximiliano Boso, correspondent for "La Nacion". "Tennis is in a transition period, like when the grass was gradually abandoned. The tournament, and South America in general, has a great tradition with the clay, but the real matter is the lessening of the number of intriguing players". In effect, only 3500 viewers were on the stands during the recent Buenos Aires final between the Spaniards Juan Carlos Ferrero, ex Roland Garros champion and ex world n.1, and David Ferrer.

The Gira is embedded between the Australian Open and the Masters 1000 in the Usa, and passing to hardcourts could be an advantage for attracting big players. And Raul Zurutuza, the Acapulco tournament director, waits only the approval of some big name to make the change official from the next edition.

The ATP board will decide within the Us Open. In the affirmative case the calendar would include 43 events on hard courts and 17 on the clay. And the risk of flattening would be more than a far perspective.

In Memphis Sam Querrey succeed in doing what he only skimmed in San Jose: defeating Andy Roddick. The Nebraska native, who in San Jose lost to Fernando Verdasco, coming back from one set to nil down, confirmed he completed a total metamorphosis from the player he was when he arrived twice in the Wimbledon final, in 2004 and 2005, losing to Roger Federer.

Then, even with his blemishes, his rude moves, he dominated a match with a terrific serve and a lethan one-two made of serve & forehand or serve&volley. Changing coach and deciding to hire Larry Stefanki, A-Rod accepted to subdue to a radical revision of his game.

Undoubtedly he completed an unprecedented work on the weakest points in Roddick's tennis, mainly reinforcing the backhand and enhancing the court covering. Now Andy risks less an inside-in forehand from the advantage side, and manages to hit some winning pass difficult to imagine before. He more and more returns with increasing anticipation, and seems definitely more consistent on the left side.

Phisically he's more prepared, last year he went nearer than ever to win Wimbledon. So why he finished to succumb to Verdasco, defeated Querrey the first time being broken and never breaking back in the entire match? Why he seems now to fight to win matches he would once dominated quite easily?

Simply, because if on the one hand he reinforced his weaknesses, his strengths are no more effective than some years ago. On the serve, although his first remains consistend and the second is far from stuttering, he's now no more unbreakable. His opponents, particularly the younger ones, are smarter returners and his ball has power but probably not enough variety of spins and pace, except on the grass.

His forehand, once flat and deep, now gained lift and unpredictability, but it's rarely a winner. Consequently, Andy being no more a novice, he becomes more frequently tired, and exhaustion makes him vulnerable.

Taking for granted how it's appreciable his professionalism, his desire to complete his game by adding new solutions, but it was worth trying? Or had he better to focus on his serve and forehand?

When he was a young rising guy, he was known for his stubborness in shortening the rallies and immediately verticalizing the game. It sound a bit strange, so, seeing him now not optimising his energies and resources. And, above all, doing so without being rewarded by a great win.

This week the big are on a rest. So the real news is that David Nalbandian came back on the circuit. He was out since May 2009, and he chose "his" Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires to return oncourt in the first round against the Italian claycourter Potito Starace: the match was suspended after Nalbandian won the first set 6-2 for the rain.

During his forced holyday Nalbandian passed much time in his hometown, Unquillo, where last summer he bought a bar, the Mumù Mamà. Here, where he's not the champion but simply David, or "El Gringo", he passed most of the second part of last season, sidelined after the injury and the hip surgery.

The bar is now managed by Ines Gorrochategui, once the second best Argentinian best woman player behind Gabriela Sabatini. And the asado, every Monday, became one of the good habuts in a diffficult period, when he was obliged to sacrifice also his other passions: rallies and golf. But he remained in touch with Adolfito Cambiaso, one of the greatest polo players.

In Buenos Aires even Gaston Gaudio tried to come back, after a week showing ex big players resurging on the top again. It was the case of Juan Carlos Ferrero, who outlasted the upsetting Polish Lukasz Kubot, who had dispatched Igor Andreev. Mosquito left just one game to the new top-50 and celebrated his 30th birthday with the 30th career title. After the quarters reached at Wimbledon and the Casablanca victory, Ferrero confirmed his a not-discardable atout during the claycourt season. Evidently he hasn't the same depth and pace of strokes he showed in 2003, when he gave the impression to be a sort of Spanish Andre Agassi. Forced to left for an injury the Australian transfer, where he wouldn't have been practically any point to defend, Ferrero relaunched his ambition for a difficult berth for the World Tour Finals.

Admiring his triumph, and Andy Roddick lose in three against Fernando Verdasco, now nearer to come back into the top-10, it became clear the new consciousness of the big players, moving around the overcrowded calendar with more and more clever schedulings.

Roger Federer opened the new way a pair of seasons ago, choosing to cut "superflous" events to focus only on the big appointments. Now the Swiss, apparently involved in a lighter training program than last years, should come back in Dubai.

And his opponents seemed to adapt. Novak Djokovic last year was the player with more matches than everyone else, 97: in 2010 he started at the Australian Open and didn't manage to reach the final in Rotterdam.

Andy Murray played only the Hopman Cup before the first seasonal Slam, and avoided leaving to both Rotterdam and Marseille, revolutioning his program compared to last season's.

If Nadal and Del Potro were forced out for this or that injury, the Stakhanovist of the circuit, Nikolay Davydenko, played more than any other top-10: his results anyway have been slightly disappointing.

What's becoming clearer and clearer is this new attitude by the players, aware that the average physical level is increasing and that easy matches are at a premium, prefers prevent injuries, wear and tear, to focus only on the key-events.

Probbaly, about that, it should be appreciable more homogeneity in surfaces but, anyway, it's an unmistakable message to ATP officials and opens new perspective in the not so easy relationship between them and the players.

A bit of Jamaica exploded in Bergamo, where Dustin Brown passed the first round defeating Bemelmans 76 36 63, just after having reached his first quarter in an ATP event in Johannesburg last week.

Blessed by just enough talent to become an honest journeyman of the circuit, Brown remains a child of a lesser god, but his matches is more and more transforming into some kind of show for smile-prone fans.

Savage-haired and lond-bearded Rastaman, role-model, fame arrived to him more for his image than for his frankly limited skills. He obtained only one sponsorship contract, with an apparel mark (casually, I'd dare wryly say).

Brown is a serve&volleyer, but his style on the net is far from being comparable to Edberg's or Henman's. His highly peculiar forehad volley reveals an unsuspected efficiency, and beside a deep serve constitute his most consistent weapon. From the baseline he's more confident from the advantage side, while his forehand, sometimes really fierce, tend more often to fluff unpredictably long or wide with no pace, and he has even played it with a clearly unusual slice-spin.

He hasn't good memories or relationship of any kind with the Jamaican tennis federation, who has never helped or supported him. And, in response, he decided not to play in Davis Cup anymore. In the island tennis is a strictly secondary discipline, leap-frogged in fame even by bob. He was born in Germany, by a Jamaican father. Started to play tennis at 5, and strangely his first tennis teacher, in Europe, was Jamaican. From the age of 12, he has lived in Jamaica, at Montego Bay.

The about $100,000 in career prize-money, more than a half won last season, testifies all the hurdles, the climbs on broken grounds he has had to face to pursue his dream. But he hasn't let to anyone to tell him he couldn't have reached it. At the end of the day he was right.

Best man: Federer
Who else? Past is not a foreign country for the Swiss, who in his golden era (2003-2006) stubbornly defeated his opponents playing like them, just better. Now, with surging Nadal and Del Potro, and blessed by not having experienced injuries yet, has increased his strategical attitudes, recurring to all his background of strokes and solution to a long-time plan. And, apart the first set against Andreev, he simply dominated the tournament until the first set and a half against Davydenko, before the 13 game streak against an opponent in plain nervous breakdown. Then he gave a lesson to Tsonga in the semi, the third more one-sided Slam semifinal he ever played, after the 62 60 62 at 2006 Wimbledon against Bjorkman and next year in Melbourne against Roddick (64 60 62). The final was simply, as he said, "one of the best matches I ever played".

Best woman: Serena Williams
She desperately wanted to erase the disappointment for the recent Us Open, for the footfault, the Chinese linejudge and so on. It was from easy, with Kim Clijsters now run in, though with all the possible pressures on her shoulders (and she cracked trying to fill up them, surrendering to Nadia Petrova in a less-than-an hour long execution). Serena showed her claws against Azarenka in the quarters, when she was drowning 46 04 and arrived to the final against the biggest possible menace, Justine Henin. But Serena clarified she's the best yet.

Breakthrough performance (ATP): Marin Cilic
He's the second biggest appearence in Medjugorie. He had all but an easy draw in front of him, but he never let this discourage himself. Neither the promising Tomic, bringing out from himself the best and something more, and forcing the Croat to recur to all his arsenal of backspin backhands and angled forehands, made him doubt about his potential. Protagonist of two of the best matches of this edition, two soon to become classic fivesetters against Del Potro and Roddick, he arrived to the semifinal having remained oncourt 18h8m, eight hours more than Murray. Too much to hope in a fourth miracle. But he found the missing piece in the puzzle of his talent, and fully deserving it entered for the first time into the top-10. And it won't be for a short time.

Breakthrough performance (WTA): Na Li
What a tournament! She's a rebel, both in his mind and in his body. He's a rose tattoed on his breast, he bunjee-jumped in Oakland, where he showed an eccentric hair-style. She abandoned the world of tennis for a pair of years to finish her master's degree and China Tennis Association had to struggle a lot to convince her coming back. They were right. Na Li became the first Chinese woman to win a tournament, in Guangzhou in 2004. In Australia she played an astonishing tennis against Venus Williams and she gave life to a tight contest against Serena. Ok, she came to the net no more than ten times, she continued in repeating a sort od predetermined schema, but Venus had to recur to two tiebreaks to fold her.

Breakdown performance (Atp): Robin Soderling
Just few words. He lost in the first round, wasting a two-sets-to-none advantage, against Granollers. Do you need else?

Breakdown performance (Wta): Maria Sharapova
Promoted for the "Powerade blue" dress, but the old-style Masha, even at 60-70%, would have never lost to Maria Kirilenko.

Best match (Atp): Youzhny-Gasquet
Having already cheered the two victories conquered by Cilic, Youzhny-Gasquet was aesthetically the best match of this tournament. I must confess the choice, with Tsonga-Almagro and the final, for the technical level and the pathos, was not easy. But some rally on the backhand side between the Russian and the eternal French promise should be broadcast in every tennis school.

Best match (Wta): Henin-Dementieva
"Unlucky" is not enough intense as a concept to define the situation of Elena Dementieva; being the fifth seeded player, and have to play against Justine Henin in the second round deserves an Oscar Prize. The match was simply dazzling.

There's a new law in tennis, valid since 2004: Grand Slam events are won exclusively either by Roger Federer or by the player who can beat Roger Federer, No way out.

The Swiss champion has today conquered his 16th Grand Slam title, just two of the record holders, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, out of 22 finals played, becoming just the fourth man in history to win the Australian major four times, after Roy Emerson, Agassi (who was also the last, before Roger, to have won the title as a father), Jack Crawford and Ken Rosewall.

Going into the match, Andy Murray knew he would have needed an efficient and consistent first serve and knew he should have abandoned the fence-sitter attitude he showed in his first Grand Slam final, against him, in the 2008 Us Open.

But today, and for the whole tournament, Roger was simply unplayable. He dominated the event since the first points, except the first set of the debut match, lost to Igor Andreev, and the first set and a half of his quarter against the new "Mr. Personality", Nikolay Davydenko.

Since 2004 one between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal ha conquered 20 out of the 24 Grand Slam events played. And the Swiss, approaching to play his 23th consecutive semis in a major, is two step aside from continuing this story.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his first opponent, will be presses to duplicate, in their first Grand Slam meeting, his improbable comeback from 1-5 down in the third set at the Montreal Masters. "Cassius Clay", arrived at the Australian Open with a little wrist injury, put every concerns to rest and, after a brilliant run, played his first five setter in his career in the fourth round against Nicolas Almagro and then Novak Djokovic, in a match seriously affected by Nole's aches.

Roger hasn't won a tournament since Cincinnati and between then and now has lost a pair of finals, at the Us Open and Basel. Roger's tournament until now has been quite convincing, except for he first set against Andreev, a player traditionally uncomfortable for the Swiss, because he hits deep forehands without giving rhythm, and the first set and a half against Davydenko.

The 2009 Australian Open champion came back home and is losing his berth at the number 2 of the world rankings. His precautionary forfeit at 63 76 30 in Murray' advantage didn't change the image of a good Rafa Nadal overwhelmed by an old-style Scotster, arrived to the semis without having dropped a set.

The Dumblane native, 11 months younger than Rafa, three years ago pushed the Mallorcan to a dramatic fifth set in Melbourne three years ago, and was up 2 sets to 1 and leading 2-1 and 0-40 on Nadal's serve in the fourth. But he lacked fitness and mental toughness and lost in five.

Now Murray is a real champion, aggressive, focused in not letting Nadal dictate the rallies. Rafa's his idol, Andy has always admired his consistence and mental attitude. And, probably unconsciously, his decision to hire Corretja was consequent not only to his ambition to gain more on the clay, but also to his admiration towards the Mallorcan's style.

In 1995 Australia's Under-16 youth team cup played in Switzerland against the hosts: in the first round two 15-year-olds had their first look at each other, Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer. The quick Australian were supposed to crack on Federer's feeble backhand. Instead, Peter Carter's kid management leap-frogged logic and theories. The future number 1 of the world rankings won in three sets. One of the few successes in his junior career.

Federer enjoys playing Hewitt, he brings out the best from him. "When things aren't going so well, Lleyton can fight back. You know, the scoreline predicts 6 2, 4 1, but you don't feel like it's that much. You feel like it's 3 2, 30 All all the time. It's just tight". But Roger has won the last 15 meetings, and among the best-of-five matches, only the 60 76 60 in the 2004 Us Open final was more one-sized.

"The beginning of the match was just more important of giving a direction. I'm a great frontrunner, so I feel like if he gets the first set, it's gonna be a really close match; whereas if I win the first set, it's always gonna be hard for him" he said. And then, in the post-match press conference, he explained: " It's just maybe more comfortable being in the lead. You don't ask yourself any questions of, Do I need to change anything around, because what you've been doing has been working".

More or less the same tone he used after his Rolamd Garros triumph: no more pressures, no more questions, no more communications of a solitary mind with himself.