After a very promising start to the season, Novak Djokovic was being widely tipped by many to reach the pinnacle of world tennis this year. I think the people who were predicting such a feat for such a young man were very wide of the mark.

There is no doubting the talent and drive of the young Serbian, but whether he can break or split up Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is yet to be seen.

It was his performances at the first Slam of the year in Australia that prompted much speculation on how the season would pan out. Yes, Federer has not been at his best, but his strong part of the year begins just after the French Open.

'The season is going to be very interesting as the calibre of players is slightly higher and, combined with the top three being a little out of sorts, the prospects of a different winner at Grand Slams is high'


Federer has usually claimed the Australian Open and then watched as the king of clay Nadal enjoys his purple patch. All three have had slight problems this year so far but all should be ironed out. Djokovic claimed his ninth career title at the Pacific Open before retiring against Federer at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The season is going to be very interesting as the calibre of players is slightly higher and, combined with the top three being a little out of sorts, the prospects of a different winner at Grand Slams is high.

This is, of course, as long as Federer remains hampered by his mononucleosis. Many have been predicting that this is when Federer will start to lose far more often and his dominance will diminish rapidly.

The Swiss master is recovering slowly but no one can come back from such a virus with a bang. He is sluggish for a very good reason, yet still reaching the final rounds of tournaments.

Nadal is also coming in to his own now and it would be foolish to expect anyone other than the Spaniard to take the French Open title. Two clay titles have already been won in awesome form by the Spaniard and, as Andy Roddick put it: "He just goes out and he just punishes people. It's almost as if he's made for this surface."

So, once Nadal tots up his titles in a congested clay court season (thanks to the Olympics) and Federer recovers fully just in time for Wimbledon and then the US Open, just what is left for Djokovic?

He was the early-season runner in the race for the 2008 ATP title but Nadal's recent wins have propelled him to the top. It would have to take an almighty effort in all tournaments for the Serb to break up this dominance.

Early runners don't always last the full distance and it is evident that, at 20 years of age, Djokovic has a long way to go if he thinks he will even get past Nadal, never mind Federer. The Swiss genius is still third in the world this year and he is supposed to be having a stinker!

I think Djokovic would be better off concentrating on his continued progress, which is remarkable, rather than listening to people trying to push him into attempting something which could cause him physical and mental damage in the long run.

Djokovic will get there. But once this season is over, the only man pushing Federer for his crown - and maybe taking it - will be Nadal.