The penultimate week in the regular season always provides some entertaining tennis as players try to end their year on a high and gain momentum heading into the new season. This week in Valencia we have a number of top players competing including three of the top ten. We also have no less than seven players still fighting for valuable points to try earn a place in London in three weeks. There is no doubt that the standard is high this week and the reward is great but for one man this week is simply a stage for him to end his stellar career. Juan Carlos Ferrero is retiring here in his home tournament in Valencia and with that in mind I think we can be guaranteed an emotional week.
Unfortunately, when talking about contenders for this title I don't get to speak about Ferrero. He isn't realistically a contender with such a high standard field and considering he hasn't played much tennis but there is a great chance that a Spaniard will be lifting the title here Sunday. Top seed David Ferrer is going to be very difficult to beat and he should be competing in the final in my opinion. I don't see him being beaten by anybody in his half. No doubt Almagro has the ability but Ferrer will get the better of him. He will wear him down and win quite comfortably in the end. David is having another great year and the effort he puts in both on and off the court is rivalled by none.
Second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is still in need of points to reach London having lost in Stockholm to rival Tomas Berdych. I don't like his draw here though. He has an early meeting with John Isner and I don't like that match up for him. I think Isner is playing some nice tennis in patches recently and I have a feeling he might do well here. Isner himself, has an outside chance of making London but needs a very deep run this week. The winner of Isner-Tsonga could possibly be the winner this week. Tsonga has a slight edge on the ground strokes over Isner but Isner has the better serve so it would be an intriguing battle. Big serving Isner will be relishing next season after having some tough times this Summer after a stunning start to the year.
Marin Cilic is a player who could benefit from a nice draw this week. With Monaco losing to Lleyton Hewitt today he has a great chance to reach the semi finals this week. I'm not sure how he could get over Ferrer in a semi final. That's not a match up I like for him as Ferrer will move him around so much he won't be allowed dictate enough. Janko Tipsarevic is just outside the qualifying spots for London and he has a nightmare draw. An opener against Gilles Simon is the worst possible draw he could have got. Simon is a dangerous player and has often been at his best at this time of year. Tipsy should get over him but Marcel Granollers is another match he won't relish. He does need to win these matches though is he wants to overtake Tsonga in the race.
I really like the chances of Canadian Milos Raonic this week. He has the game to beat almost everyone in this draw. The one player I would really worry with is Ferrer and he is on the other side of the draw. Raonic has been brilliant at times this year but has lost too many matches that would have given him great chances in big tournaments. His win over Murray in Tokyo was proof that he can beat the best and for me it showed that mentally he is almost ready to explode to the top of the game. If he serves well this week I don't see where he can be beaten. His serve is unbelievable and his back hand is finally starting to catch up with his dangerous fore hand. Next year could be huge for him but small steps first and this week he needs a deep run.
I think the main man to watch this week has to be Ferrer. He is dangerous on every surface and I see him winning his third Valencia title this week. He will be challenged by the likes of Tsonga, Isner, Almagro and Tipsarevic but none of them live up to this man's standards when he's on song. Milos Raonic is a possible final opponent and I think a final between those two would be fascinating with the power of Raonic against the dogged consistency of Ferrer.
I would love to sit here and say that Juan Carlos Ferrero will win the title and have a fairytale ending but it is highly unlikely. He has a very tough opener against Almagro but he will be playing with no fear on the court which could make him dangerous. Tomorrow could be the end of one of the best players I've watched play tennis but although it is a massive loss to the competitive game, we can rest assured that his work for various charities and his own foundations will benefit the game off the court.
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