****LONG POST ALERT****

Please redirect this to another thread if it already exists or move it to another place if it shouldn't be here, I know there is a thread about who and when Federer will be knocked off the top spot and his domination......but....I wanted to discuss his potential rivals...SO...

Who do you think will step up (if anyone) and challenge Federer to give men's tennis a much needed boost?

At the moment the only competitive part of the season is when the clay court tournaments start.

The key contenders for me at the moment are:-

1/ Nadal - He is king on clay, and looks to be improving on grass but just can't hack on hard courts. But he is young, and at his age Federer was yet to win a grand slam (please correct me if I am wrong, I am guessing he may have had his first wimbledon but not two GS's) so could well improve just as Federer did and challenge him on all surfaces. I was certainly impressed when he took a set from Federer at Wimbledon and was challenging heavily in another.

2/ Safin - This guy the shots to challenge Federer, he just tends to keep them locked away for special occasions and with injury problems he only shines every few years or so. With an injury free run and unlocking the key to greater consistency could he be the one?

3/ Roddick - This guy has the power, and up until that semi-final at Wimbledon in 2003 many tipped him to win Wimbledon that year. Federer seems to have his number since, but perhaps he could make some changes to his game? Maybe he is a little in awe of Federer too much these days, and this puts him a set behind before he has even started against him?

4/ Murray - With continuing improvement and a win against Federer behind him could he raise his game this year and snatch a place in the top 5 by challenging Federer consistently. It's entirely possible, but does he have the head for it?

5/ Gasquet - I have been waiting for this guy to come through a lot stronger than he has done so far on the tour. I still think he can come through and challenge, especially at Wimbledon. For me, he has the game. Has he got the temperament?

6/ Hewitt - He seems to be sidetracked by off court aspirations these days (then again, with his wife you can't blame him). Can he get back to where he was? For me he WAS a better player than he is now. If he showed the form he had when he whooped Sampras back in the US Open of 2001 he would be challenging Federer. That's just my opinion, but he has just lost something since around 2002.

7/ Nalbandian - I thought this guy was cruising to the US Open Title in 2003, but Roddick shocked him and came back to win their semi after Nalbandian had match points to win in straight sets (correct me if I am wrong there) and went on to win the title instead. I think that jolted Nalbandian big time and he hasn't been the same since. He did have one great tournament last year to claim the Tennis Masters Cup, and showed what a truly great player he could be.


Please add players to the list I may have forgotten, but to me it seems truly frustrating that none of these players have managed to challenge Fed a bit more so far (I know some are young) as I really believe some of them have the tools to do it. I know Federer is a magician on the court, but for the sake of men’s tennis I think someone needs to come through and match him (on more than just one surface). Any thoughts on this one?

I've seen this thread Gav and just haven't had the time to comment on it.

So here goes.

I mentioned on another thread about some of the youngsters,and certainly at the moment Gasquet&Murray seem good bets.
Gasquet has all the flair and the shots to challenge Federer in the shot making department.The thing is with tennis is developing the right mentality.Gasquet just won Lyon so it's another small step to becoming mentally strong.Even the great Sampras said that even after winning the USOPEN in 1990 that it was his loss to Edberg in 1992 at the same event that made him mentally strong.Of course the rest is history.

Murray I feel has the mental strength already,but it's his attitude to setbacks that is the problem.He is very performance proud,and this is what causes him to lose matches,as opposed to being outclassed or feeling pressure.If Gilbert can make the penny drop and he can accept the peaks and troughs in his game in much the same way that Agassi became so good at,then he could be a serious threat.

The other one on your list that I would like to mention is Safin,and perhaps the most perplexing.I wish that more than any other player on the whole tour that he could dail in mentally.Safin's only enemy is himself.He just doesn't view tennis history in the way Federer does who is very aware of his legacy to the game.Probably motivation is the key,because pound for pound he is as talented as Fed.He makes the two-handed backhand an artform.He can do anything,and with a languid,and stylish game to boot.2 slams,not enough,I'm not usually into what if,but if Safin was mentally present all the time he should have double the slams he has and perhaps more.That period where Hewiit dominated was probably Safin's chance to establish himself as the major force in the game after beating Sampras,but it didn't happen.

Haven't got much time to write much here, but I'd also add Baggy and Djokovic to the mix in terms of up and coming players.. how about those two in terms of their prospects?

You are right Petalp I should have considered Baghdatis and Djokovic in with my list.

Well Baggy took a set from Federer in the Australian Open in January so you gotta say with improvements to his game he is potentially a challenger. Djokovic has already done a lot for a player of his age so I see him definitely having potential to be right up there with Fed, but not yet.

The question is, how long do we have to wait for these players to come through or for older players to stand up and be counted again? As far as I see it if no potential challenger steps up to the plate next year we have Fed winning three slams and Nadal most likely dominating the clay court season (unless Fed improves and dominates that too).....