There have been talks lately about Federer getting back his No. 1 status next year. In fact, a poll by ATP indicates that most people believe Fed will get back his No. 1 ranking in 2009. I personally would love to see Federer getting back his No. 1 ranking, but I just can’t see it.

Federer is one of the best players of all time. He is up there with Sampras, Laver, Bjorg, and others. But, his time at the top has passed. There are too many young players that have caught up with him. Nadal will probably lose his No. 1 position sometime next year but it won’t be to Federer. If you think about it, Djokovic had such a terrible second half of the year that it’s surprising that he is oh so close to getting the No. 2 position off of Fed. Had Novak won the U.S. Open and played a bit better at Wimbledon, he would’ve put up a good challenge against Nadal. 

Murray is the hottest player on the tour and even though he lost to Davydenko at Masters Cup, he was the star of the tournament by knocking out Federer and beating Roddick and Simon in the process. He will be a major factor next year. 

Let’s not forget about Del Potro, Monfils, Simon, Gasquet, Berdych, Cilic, Gulbis, and even Nishikori. There are too many hungry young guns out there, and I believe it’d be hard for Federer to continue his amazing record next year. Will Federer be a major factor in the next few years? Absolutely. Will he regain his No. 1 spot? I doubt it (and if it happens, it would be for a brief time). That doesn’t mean he will be regarded any less for his amazing career. 

You decide: Will Federer regain the No. 1 position next year?

Roddick has finally found a coach for his 2009 season. Larry Stefanki was with Fernando Gonzalez for the past 3 years but I suppose even he had to give up after Gonzo started going south. Now, he will get a chance to work with Roddick and help him win another slam.

Will Roddick win another slam? Will he live up to the lofty expectations folks had for him a few years ago? You decide!

Who would’ve thought that after a fiercely contested Masters Cup, we would be left with two players who were perhaps not the most in-form players on tour. Djokovic and Davydenko qualified from the same group, but now are in the final for a rematch of their group encounter. On that day, Davydenko served Novak a bagel but Novak won it in 3 sets. But tomorrow, Davydenko will be ready to take the extra step to take the championship home.

Novak has struggled mightily in this tournament, and he almost lost it to Simon today. But he hung on to reach the final, having already lost a match to Tsonga. Davydenko, bounced back from his defeat by Djokovic to dominate Del Potro and Murray (Andy was the hottest player in the tournament but was simply outgunned by an in-form Kolya).

Verdict: Djokovic looked tired today, and Davydenko looked very confident. It should be Novak’s moment but it won’t be. Davydenko wins in 3 set. Probably 7-6 in the third.

The last tournament of the year is underway in Shanghai where 8 top player in the world minus Nadal go head to head for the last meaningful ATP title of the year. Djokovic was first up against Del Potro, and he finally managed to snap his three losing streak by beating Juan 7-5, 6-3.

Davydenko also took advantage of his first opportunity to beat Tsona 7-6 in the third and move to the top of the group. This group seems to be the easiest, as Djokovic is the only slam winner here.

Federer, Roddick, Murray, and Simon are pitted against each other in the other group, and every match will be important as two of the four try to qualify for the next rounds. I still believe Murray is the firm favorite here, but Federer and Djokovic are not that behind.

Tsonga is for real folks. If there were any doubts about the future of this man, he proved tonight that he has all the tools to become a great player in the years ahead. Tsonga outslugged the indoor master Nalbandian and dethroned him 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to win his 2nd career title and his first Masters Series shield.

For long, Richard Gasquet was considered to be the best French hope but Tsonga has now proved that he and not Gasquet is someone to look out for in the coming slams. I still think that he needs to work on a few areas to get himself in the contention in Grand Slam, but he was oh so close at Australian Open this year.

Tsonga may or may not win a slam. Nobody can predict that with guys such as Del Potro, Cilic, and Murray without one as well, but he is the best chance the French have at a major title.