The top eight players in the Nov. 17 rankings qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London to be held Nov. 23-29. The ATP World Tour Champion will be named to the No. 1 player at the end of the season. Information provided by ATPWorldTour.com.
1. Rafael Nadal, Spain
Last week's result: The four-time defending champion's 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended with a surprise fourth round loss to No. 23-seeded Robin Soderling, who went on to reach the final… Has a 31-1 record in Paris.
Year in review: The 23-year-old Mallorca native has won an ATP World Tour-best five titles and reached two finals and advanced to two QFs in his first 10 tournaments of the season en route to a 44-5 record (22-2 on clay)…He's won at least five titles the past five years…Captured his sixth career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, his first on hard courts, with a five-set victory over rival Roger Federer...In his SF victory over countryman Fernando Verdasco, won a tournament record 5:14 battle in five sets...He became the first Spaniard to win the Australian title and third player at age 22-under to win three of four Grand Slam titles, joining Connors and Sampras...Also the first player to win Aussie Open title winning five-set SF and F matches since Mats Wilander in 1988...In March, collected his 13th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells for the second time in three years over No. 4 Andy Murray…He saved the most match points (five) in his career in the fourth round against David Nalbandian, all coming in the second set before prevailing 6-0 in the final set …In addition to Murray, his other Top 10 wins came over No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Andy Roddick in the semis…He followed with the QF at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami…Led 3-0 (two breaks) in the third set against No. 7 ranked Juan Martin del Potro before losing in a tie-break...In mid-February, reached third career ATP World Tour indoor final (1-2) in Rotterdam and injured his right knee in three-set loss to World No. 4 Andy Murray...Withdrew from Dubai but returned for first round Davis Cup tie against Serbia, winning both of his singles matches, over Janko Tipsarevic and World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in straight sets…Has won 12 straight Davis Cup matches since losing in his debut five years ago…Opened his clay court campaign with a three-sets victory over No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters…It was a record fifth straight crown in Monte-Carlo…He followed by winning his fifth straight Barcelona title (d. Ferrer) and then posted a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome final…It was the Spaniard's 15th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, second only to Andre Agassi (17), and record fourth title in Rome… Then reached the final at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open where he lost to rival Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 in the final…The previous round he saved three match points in the longest three-set singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era, prevailing in four hours and three minutes over Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9)…The loss ended a 33-match winning streak on clay going back to May 7, 2008…It was also only his second loss in a clay final in his career (25-2), both coming to Federer…Has a 153-6 clay mark since 2005.
2. Roger Federer, Switzerland
Last week's result: The 27-year-old Swiss superstar completed a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in his 11th attempt by defeating Swede Robin Soderling in straight sets in the final…It was his 14th Grand Slam crown, tying Pete Sampras for the most in men's tennis…Lost six sets en route to the title, the most of any Grand Slam title run and was pushed to five sets by Tommy Haas in the fourth and Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals.
Year in review: The Basel native has compiled a 33-6 match record (16-2 on clay) in his first eight tournaments and enters the grass court circuit with a 12-match winning streak…He opened the first month with a SF in Doha (l. to Murray) and followed with runner-up at the Australian Open, falling to rival Rafael Nadal in five sets...It was his first loss in a Grand Slam hard court final (8-1)...He then withdrew from Dubai and first round Davis Cup tie vs. the U.S. with a back injury…Returned from a six-week layoff due and advanced to the SF in Indian Wells, defeating No. 17 Fernando Gonzalez and No. 10 Fernando Verdasco before losing to No. 4 Andy Murray for the fourth straight time…Followed with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 loss to No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the QF at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami…He opened his clay court campaign at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, losing in the third round to countryman Stanislas Wawrinka…It was his first loss to a countryman since Marc Rosset in 2000…He reached the SF in Rome, losing to No. 3 Novak Djokovic in three sets…The World No. 2 broke nearly a seven-month title drought by earning his 15th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Madrid, capped off by a 6-4, 6-4 victory over rival Rafael Nadal…Broke a five-match losing streak to the Spaniard with his 58th career title in his 80th final…Has won at least one ATP World Tour title for nine straight years…Along the way also beat No. 16-ranked Blake, No. 6 Roddick and No. 5 del Potro…Only lost his serve twice in 55 games…Married long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in his hometown of Basel on Apr. 11.
3. Andy Murray, Great Britain
Last week's result: The 22-year-old Scot reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time, losing to Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in four sets.
Year in review: The British star is off to a career-best 35-6 start, including an 8-3 mark vs. Top 10 opponents (losing twice to Nadal and once to No. 5 del Potro)…In his first 10 tournaments, he's won three ATP World Tour titles and reached another final...He opened the season by defending his title in Doha with back-to-back wins over No. 2 Federer (SF) and No. 8 Roddick (F)...Held serve 47 of 50 games throughout the tournament...Then followed with a fourth round showing at the Australian Open where he lost to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco for first time (5-1) in five sets...In February, defeated World No. 1 Nadal in three sets in Rotterdam final to capture his 10th ATP World Tour title of his career...Two weeks later advanced to the QF in Dubai where he withdrew due to a virus against Richard Gasquet...Also pulled out of first round Davis Cup European zone home tie against Ukraine…He returned in March to reach the final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, falling to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal…En route to the title match, beat No. 15 Tommy Robredo in the fourth round and No. 2 Roger Federer in the SF for the fourth consecutive time since losing in last year's US Open final…Followed by capturing his ATP World Tour-best third title of the season at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with his third career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown over No. 3 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5…He became the first British player in the tournament's 25-year history to win the title…In his season clay court debut, he reached his first career SF on clay at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating No. 9 ranked Davydenko in the QF before losing to eventual champ Nadal…He suffered his earliest loss of the season as he fell in three sets in the opening round (after a bye) to Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco in Rome…Came back to reach the QFs in Madrid, losing to No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro.
4. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
Last week's result: The Belgrade native suffered his earliest loss in four years at Roland Garros as he fell to German Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets in the third round.
Year in review: The 22-year-old Serb has a 39-12 match record on the season (17-6 on clay) and 2-3 in finals…He has reached the final in four of his past six tournaments (Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome, Belgrade)…He picked up his first ATP World Tour title of the year on Feb. 28 in Dubai, an ATP World Tour 500 tournament, by defeating Spaniard David Ferrer…In the first month of action he advanced to the SF in Sydney (l. to Nieminen) and followed with a QF at the Australian Open where he retired vs. Roddick due to heat illness...He returned to action in Marseille and lost to eventual champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the SF...Played in first round Davis Cup tie against '08 champion Spain and lost to David Ferrer and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal…In March, came in as defending champion at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and lost in the QF to No. 7 Andy Roddick…Followed by reaching his second ATP World Tour final of the season at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami where he defeated No. 2 Roger Federer in the SF before falling to No. 4 Andy Murray… The Monte-Carlo resident opened his clay court campaign by reaching the final at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters with three consecutive three-set wins before losing to ATP World Tour No. 1 Rafael Nadal in three sets…It was his second straight runner-up in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament (Miami, l. to Murray)… Continued his fine form by reaching the final at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome where he beat Roger Federer in the SF before losing to Nadal 7-6(2), 6-2…Captured his hometown title in the inaugural Serbia Open, defeating Polish lucky loser Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 7-6 to capture his second ATP World Tour title of the season…Then advanced to SFs in Madrid where he lost to Nadal in a record four hour and three minute marathon (held three match points).
5. Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina
Last week's result: The towering Argentine reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros where he lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in five sets.
Year in review: The 20-year-old Argentine is the youngest player in the Top 10 and he's off to a career-best 31-9 start (12-4 on clay), reaching the QF or better in nine of 10 tournaments…He began the season by capturing his fifth career ATP World Tour title in Auckland (d. Querrey)... He followed by advancing to his second straight Grand Slam QF at the Australian Open (d. Cilic, l. to Federer)...Jumped from No. 9 to No. 6 after Auckland title on Jan. 19...He also advanced to back-to-back QF in San Jose and Memphis…In March, reached the QF at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells where he won three matches before falling to No. 1 and eventual champion Nadal…He then advanced to his first SF in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event at the Sony Ericsson in Miami where he posted the biggest win of his career over ATP World Tour No. 1 Nadal in the QF…Trailed 0-3 (two breaks) in the third set before winning in a tie-break for his first win in five meetings against Nadal…Afterwards, moved from No. 7 to a career-high No. 5 on Apr. 6… He lost his opening clay court match (after a bye) to Ivan Ljubicic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters then followed with a QF showing in Rome (d. Wawrinka, l. to Djokovic)…Followed with his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 SF in Madrid where he beat No. 11 seed Stanislas Wawrinka and No. 3-ranked Murray in the QF before losing to eventual champion Federer.
6. Andy Roddick, United States
Last week's result: The top American advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros, his best result in eight appearances, losing to Frenchman Gael Monfils in straight sets.
Year in review: The Austin, Texas resident has a 30-7 record…He opened the season by reaching the final in Doha (d. Monfils in SF, l. to Murray) and advancing to his fourth SF at the Australian Open (d. No. 3 Djokovic, l. to Federer)...Moved from No. 9 to No. 6 afterwards…Continued success in February with SF in San Jose (l. to Stepanek) and title in Memphis (d. Hewitt in SF, Stepanek in F)...Improved his title streak to nine consecutive years (since 2001) with his 27th career title, third-most (w/Hewitt) among active players (behind Federer-59, Nadal-36)…He led the U.S. to a 4-1 first round Davis Cup victory over the Federer-less Switzerland squad with straight-set wins over Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka…He faced only one break point in six sets of action en route to becoming the second-winningest player in U.S. Davis Cup history with 31 match wins (trailing only John McEnroe-41)…Has a 21-2 career record at home in Davis Cup play… In March, advanced to the SF for the third time at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells where he defeated No. 12 David Ferrer in the fourth round and No. 3 and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the QF before falling to No. 1 and eventual winner Rafael Nadal…The top American then reached the QF at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with a win over No. 10 ranked Gael Monfils in the fourth round before falling in three sets to No. 2 Federer…Made his season clay court debut in Madrid and beat former No. 2 Tommy Haas in his opening round (saving two match points before losing to eventual champion Federer in three sets in the QF…Married Brooklyn Decker on April 17 in Austin, Texas.
7. Gilles Simon, France
Last week's result: The 24-year-old advanced to the third round at his home country Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, losing to Romanian Victor Hanescu.
Year in review: The top Frenchman has compiled a 20-17 record and advanced to the QFs or better four times this season…In January reached his first Grand Slam QF at the Australian Open (l. to eventual champion Nadal)...Then lost in the second round at Rotterdam (l. to Ancic) before reaching back-to-back SFs in Marseille (l. to Llodra) and Dubai (l. to eventual champion Djokovic)…He had a tough Davis Cup debut against the Czech Republic, losing to Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek in France's 3-2 first round loss in Ostrava…Of the six sets he lost, four came in tie-breaks…In March he reached the third round (after a bye) at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a three-set win over Yen-Hsun Lu before losing to Ivan Ljubicic…At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, he reached the fourth round (after a bye) with wins over former ATP World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and No. 29 seed Rainer Schuettler before losing to countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets…He reached the third round in Rome with a three-set win over Fabio Fognini before losing to German qualifier Mischa Zverev…In Estoril he advanced to the QFs, losing to eventual champion Albert Montanes of Spain (after holding one match point)…Lost in the third round (after a bye) in Madrid where he lost to Ivan Ljubicic in three sets
8. Fernando Verdasco, Spain
Last week's result: The Madrid native advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros for the third straight year, losing to Russian Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets..
Year in review: The Spanish left-hander is off to a career-best 26-9 start and he reached a career-high No. 7 on Apr. 20…Has advanced to the QFs or better in eight of nine tournaments…He opened the first month of the season winning nine of 11 matches, highlighted by his first ATP World Tour hard court final in Brisbane (l. to Stepanek)…Then followed with a career-best SF showing at Australian Open...Posted back-to-back wins over No. 4 Murray in five sets in 4th Rd. and No. 6 Tsonga in QF before falling in an epic five-set marathon to countryman and World No. 1 Nadal...Played longest singles match in tournament history (5:14) and afterwards broke into Top 10 for first time at No. 9 (from No. 15) on Feb. 2...Injured his left foot in Australia and withdrew from Dubai and first round Davis Cup tie vs. Serbia…Spent one month working with former Andre Agassi fitness guru Gil Reyes in Las Vegas…Returned to action in March and reached the QF for the first time at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with three wins before losing to No. 2 Roger Federer…He reached his first QF at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, highlighted by wins over No. 32 seed and countryman Feliciano Lopez and No. 18 seed Radek Stepanek before falling to eventual champion Andy Murray…Opened his clay court campaign by reaching the QF at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, losing to No. 3 Novak Djokovic in three sets…On home soil in Barcelona, he advanced to the QF for the first time, losing to Fernando Gonzalez in three sets…He continued consistent play by reaching the QF in Rome (d. Fish, Gasquet), losing to countryman and eventual champion Rafael Nadal…The Madrid native performed well in his hometown by reaching the QFs for the first time, losing to countryman Nadal (after holding a 4-0 lead in the second set).
9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France
Last week's result: The 24-year-old Frenchman reached the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time, falling to No. 5 del Potro.
Year in review: The No. 2 Frenchman has advanced to the QFs or better in seven of 11 tournaments this season en route to a 31-9 match record on the ATP World Tour…Last year he didn't win his 31st match until November in Paris…Has already captured titles in Johannesburg (d. Chardy) and Marseille (d. Llodra) in the first two months... Made his second appearance in Davis Cup play and accounted for France's two points in 3-2 loss to Czech Republic with singles wins over Radek Stepanek and Jan Hernych in dead rubber…In mid-March, reached the third round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, defeating Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili in his opening match (after a bye) before falling to No. 22 Igor Andreev…Followed with a QF showing at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, defeating countryman Gilles Simon in three sets before falling to eventual finalist Novak Djokovic… In his season clay court debut in Rome, lost in the first round to countryman Richard Gasquet…He then lost in the second round in Madrid, beating former No. 1 Marat Safin before losing to Ivan Ljubicic.
10. Fernando Gonzalez, Chile
Last week's result: The 28-year-old Chilean came back from an ankle injury to reach his first semifinal at Roland Garros (d. No. 3 Murray) where he lost in five sets to Swede Robin Soderling…Lost first two sets before taking a 4-1 lead in the fifth set, only to lose the final five games.
Year in review: The top Chilean has a 22-6 match record on the season and he returns to the Top 10 (from No. 12) for the first time since Oct. 13, 2008…He reached the fourth round at the Australian Open (l. to eventual champ Nadal) after defeating Frenchman Richard Gasquet 12-10 in the fifth set...Then repeated his title on home soil in Vina del Mar (d. Acasuso) and for fourth time in his career…Withdrew from first round Davis Cup tie vs. Croatia due to back injury…Returned in March to reach the fourth round (after a bye) at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with wins over former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and No. 13 James Blake before losing to No. 2 Roger Federer in three sets…Afterwards improved ranking from No. 17 to No. 13… He then made a third round exit (after a bye) at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, defeating Igor Kunitsyn before falling to No. 18 seed Radek Stepanek…In late April, took a wild card into Barcelona and reached the SFs with a win over No. 7 ranked Fernando Verdasco before losing to David Ferrer in a third set tie-break…He then advanced to the SFs in Rome, losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
11. Nikolay Davydenko, Russia
Last week's result: The 27-year-old Russian advanced to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the fourth time in five years, losing to eventual finalist Robin Soderling.
Year in review: The top Russian has played in only eight tournaments this year (16-6 record, 14-5 on clay) due to a left heel injury he suffered in the first week in Chennai where he withdrew from his second round match...Also withdrew from Indian Wells and the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami where he captured the title last year due to the heel injury…Fell from No. 5 to No. 9 after his title points came off on Apr. 6…Also withdrew from Australian Open, breaking a streak of 29 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments played (since '01 US Open)...Returned to action one month later in Rotterdam and lost in the second round…After a two-month absence due to a left heel injury, returned in mid-April to reach the QF at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating No. 12 seed David Nalbandian before losing to No. 4 Andy Murray…Followed with SF in Barcelona, posting back-to-back three set wins over Feliciano Lopez and Radek Stepanek before losing to eventual champion Nadal…Fell out of the Top 10 on Apr. 27 for the first time since May 23, 2005…He was upset in the opening round (after a bye) in Rome by top Austrian Jurgen Melzer…Came in as the No. 2 seed in Estoril and reached the SF, losing to American James Blake in three sets… reached the third round in Madrid, winning both matches in straight sets before withdrawing vs. Roddick due to a leg injury… Reached the third round in Madrid, winning both matches in straight sets before withdrawing vs. Roddick due to a leg injury.
12. Robin Soderling, Sweden
Last week's result: The 24-year-old Swede surprised World No. 1 and four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal with a four-set upset win in the fourth round en route to his first Grand Slam final…Also beat Top 15 opponents No. 14 David Ferrer (3rd Rd.), No. 11 Nikolay Davydenko (QF) and No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez (SF)…Became the first Swede to reach the French final since his coach Magnus Norman in 2000 and afterwards climbed from No. 25 to a career-high No. 12.
Year in review: The Swede has compiled an 18-11 match record on the season…He won nine matches in his first 10 tournaments through mid-May before putting together a career-best nine-match winning streak with three round robin matches at the ATP World Team Championship in Duesseldorf and then six matches in Paris…In first two weeks of the season, reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane (l. to Stepanek) and followed with semifinal in Auckland (l. to del Potro)...Also won the Sunrise Challenger title in Florida in March (as a qualifier).
13. Marin Cilic, Croatia
Last week's result: The 20-year-old Croat reached the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time, losing to No. 3 Andy Murray in straight sets.
Year in review: The top Croat is ranked a career-high No. 13 and he's off to a career-best 27-9 start with ATP World Tour titles in Chennai (d. Devvarman) and Zagreb (d. Ancic)...He also advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open for the second straight year and the quarterfinals in Dubai (l. to Djokovic both times)…In first round Davis Cup play, helped his country to a 5-0 victory over visiting Chile by winning singles match (d. Massu) and doubles match (w/Ancic)…Croatia will host the U.S. in the quarterfinal in July… In March, reached the third round (after a bye) at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a win over Steve Darcis before losing to No. 15 Tommy Robredo…He then reached the third round (after a bye) for the second straight tournament at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with a win over Amer Delic before losing to No. 11 seed David Ferrer in three sets…He opened his clay court season with a second round exit at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters…He then reached the third round in Rome, losing to Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco and followed with a QF in Munich, losing to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in three sets and second round in Madrid to German Philipp Kohlschreiber in a third set tie-break.
14. Gael Monfils, France
Last week's result: The entertaining Frenchman reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros where he beat No. 6 Andy Roddick before losing to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets…Slipped from No. 10 to No. 14 after last year's semifinal points dropped off.
Year in review: The 22-year-old Frenchman has a 19-9 match record and one of two players (Verdasco) to crack the Top 10 for the first time this year...He opened the season with a SF in Doha, defeating World No. 1 Nadal in QF before losing to Roddick in three sets...Followed with fourth round at the Australan Open where he retired with a right wrist injury (after three sets) against countryman Gilles Simon...He broke into the Top 10 for first time on Feb. 23 and made Acapulco debut by reaching final (l. to Almagro), his sixth straight runner-up…In March in Indian Wells, lost opening round match (after a bye) to big-serving American John Isner in three sets…He did advance to the fourth round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, saving two match points in a three-set victory over Marat Safin before losing to Andy Roddick…The No. 3 Frenchman struggled in his first European clay court tournament at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, losing in the first round to Janko Tipsarevic…Did not play again until Paris due to a knee injury.
15. Tommy Robredo, Spain
Last week's result: The Spanish veteran turned in his fourth quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros, maintaining his success in odd years (2003, '05, '07)…Lost to No. 5 del Potro in straight sets.
Year in review: The 27-year-old Spaniard has jumped off to a career-best 32-11 start (25-7 on clay) highlighted by back-to-back clay court titles in Costa do Sauipe (d. Bellucci) and Buenos Aires (d. Monaco)...Last year he didn't win his 32nd match until late September in Beijing…He compiled a 12-match winning streak and won 14 of 16 matches on clay during the four week Latin American circuit...In January, reached the second round in Sydney (l. to Ancic) and fourth round at the Australian Open (l. to Roddick)…Played in Davis Cup doubles match (w/Lopez) and lost to Troicki-Zimonjic although Spain beat Serbia 4-1…In mid-March, advanced to the fourth round (after a bye) at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with wins over Igor Kunitsyn and No. 19 Marin Cilic before retiring with a right wrist injury against No. 4 Andy Murray in the second set…Then followed with a third round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami where he beat Jan Hernych in the opening round match (after a bye) before getting upset by No. 467 ranked Taylor Dent in the third round…In his first European clay court event, reached the second round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Schuettler, l. to Monaco)…He then advanced to the QFs in Barcelona, falling to countryman David Ferrer and followed with a third round showing in Rome, falling to No. 3 and eventual finalist Novak Djokovic… Followed with third round in Madrid, falling to No. 3-ranked Andy Murray…Has a 10-0 tie-break record on the year…
16. James Blake, United States
Last week's result: The No. 2 American lost in the first round for the second time in three years, falling to Argentine Leonardo Mayer.
Year in review: The No. 2 American has compiled a 15-11 record on the season and since opening with a 6-2 record, has a 9-9 mark…Opened with a fourth round at the Australian Open (l. to Tsonga), SF in San Jose (l. to Fish) and a pair of third round exits in Indian Wells and Miami…Fell to No. 17 on Apr. 6 (from 14)…Helped the U.S. to a 4-1 first round Davis Cup victory over Switzerland in Birmingham, Ala. by defeating Marco Chiudinelli in dead rubber…Lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets in the opening rubber... At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, posted a three-set win over Jarkko Nieminen before losing to No. 17 Fernando Gonzalez …Reached the third round (after a bye) at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, defeating Julien Benneteau before exiting to No. 21 seed Tomas Berdych in three sets…He came in as the top seed into his first clay court tournament of the season in Houston and lost to former Argentine Top 10 Guillermo Canas in the first round…Made his European season clay debut in Rome and lost to Romanian qualifier Victor Crivoi in the first round…He then reached his second career clay court final in Estoril, defeating No. 11 Davydenko in the SFs in three sets before falling in the final to Spaniard Albert Montanes in three sets (after holding two match points in the second set)…Followed with third round in Madrid (l. to Federer).
17. David Nalbandian, Argentina
Last week's result: Did not play – Underwent hip surgery on May 13 in Spain and is expected to be sidelined three to four months.
Year in review: The No. 2 Argentine has a 14-7 match record on the year…He opened the season by capturing an ATP World Tour title for the fifth consecutive year, in Sydney (d. Nieminen)...Overall it was his 10th career ATP World Tour title...He fell to Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round at the Australian Open...In February, advanced to the SFs in Buenos Aires (l. to Monaco) and following week in Acapulco was upset by Austrian qualifier Daniel Koellerer in the first round…In mid-March, reached the fourth round (after a bye) at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with wins over Robert Kendrick and Viktor Troicki before falling in three sets to World No. 1 and eventual champion Rafael Nadal 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 in two hours and 55 minutes…Held five match points in the second set but couldn't convert…Then suffered a surprise opening round loss (after a bye) to Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-3, at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami…In his European tournament opener, won back-to-back three set matches over Paul-Henri Mathieu and Marcel Granollers before losing to No. 9 ranked Nikolay Davydenko in three sets in the third round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters…He followed with a QF showing in Barcelona but a right hip injury forced the Argentine to withdraw prior to a scheduled showdown with Nadal…He withdrew from Rome due to hip injury. Lost in the first round in Estoril to Chilean Paul Capdeville 6-2, 6-2, and then announced afterwards he was to undergo hip surgery…Expected to be sidelined three to four months.
18. David Ferrer, Spain
Last week's result: The Spaniard reached the third round at Roland Garros, losing to eventual finalist Robin Soderling in four sets.
Year in review: The No. 4 Spaniard (behind No. 1 Nadal, No. 8 Verdasco, No. 15 Robredo) has compiled a 27-13 match record, advancing to the SFs or better in four of his first 13 tournaments...He opened with a SF in Auckland (l. to Querrey) before suffering third round exit at Australian Open (l. to Cilic)…Then advanced to the SFs in Johannesburg (l. to Chardy) at the start of February and later that month reached his 13th career ATP World Tour final (7-6 record) in Dubai (l. to No. 3 Djokovic)...In first round Davis Cup tie vs. Serbia, helped his country to a 4-1 victory with wins over World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in opener and Viktor Troicki in dead rubber to close the tie…Spain will host Germany in the QFs in July…In mid-March, reached the fourth round (after a bye) at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with wins over Todd Widom and Jeremy Chardy before losing to No. 7 Andy Roddick in three sets…He then reached the fourth round (after a bye) at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with back-to-back three-set wins over John Isner and No. 17 seed Marin Cilic before losing to No. 7 ranked Juan Martin del Potro…Reached the third round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters before losing to countryman Fernando Verdasco… Followed by reaching his second ATP World Tour final of the season in Barcelona, falling to countryman and ATP World Tour No. 1 Rafael Nadal in a repeat of last year's title match…Then made a first round exit in Rome to Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in three sets and followed with a second round loss in Estoril to countryman Oscar Hernandez and in Madrid to Argentine Juan Monaco.
19. Stanislas Wawrinka, Switzerland
Last week's result: The Swiss No. 2 lost in the third round to No. 11 Nikolay Davydenko in four sets.
Year in review: The Swiss native has an 18-10 record on the season (11-5 on clay)...He opened with a first round exit in Chennai and followed with third round at the Australian Open (l. to Berdych)...He accounted for his country's lone point in a 4-1 first round Davis Cup loss to the U.S., defeating James Blake in the first rubber…Lost doubles match (w/Allegro) to the Bryans and fell to Roddick in straight sets in the fourth rubber, which clinched the tie…Then followed at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with wins over Andreas Seppi and Sam Querrey (saving two match points) before falling in two tie-breaks to World No. 3 and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round … Followed with another fourth round (after a bye) effort at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami where he beat Andreas Seppi and No. 20 seed Igor Andreev before falling in two tie-breaks to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in a 2:43 battle…Opened his clay court campaign by reaching the SFs at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters with his first win over countryman Roger Federer in the third round before losing to Novak Djokovic in three sets…Moved from 16 to No. 12 afterwards… In Barcelona, defeated Mikhail Youzhny and lost to Radek Stepanek in three sets in the third round (after a first round bye)…Followed with wins over Russians Igor Kunitsyn and Mikhail Youzhny before losing in the third round to No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro in three sets in Rome…Then lost in the third round in Madrid to del Potro again in three sets.
20. Richard Gasquet, France
Last week's result: Did not play.
Year in review: The 22-year-old French native has a 14-8 on the season and five of his losses have come to Top 20 opponents…He reached the semifinals three times in his first five tournaments…Opened the season with back-to-back semifinal showings in Brisbane (l. to Stepanek) and Sydney (l. to Nalbandian)…In February, reached that round in Dubai (l. to Ferrer)...In his last tournament on Apr. 30 at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome, lost in the third round to No. 8 Fernando Verdasco.
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