There can be little doubt that Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be in the dog-fight for tennis honours next year.

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And with the climax of the 2009 season finally approaching, it is easy to see just how important it has been for one player in particular.

Del Potro is 21 years old and already a cult hero in Argentina. With wins against the elite of the men's game scarce, it would have been easy to write him off, but Potty did the unthinkable and beat Nadal and Roger Federer in the space of two days in the US Open in New York.

This has to rank among the greatest of maiden slams. Juan must now be considered in any argument.

Just as it has been a breakthrough year for Del Potro, it has been a perplexing one for a certain Andy Murray, many people's pick to clinch his first Slam at the Big Apple.

After a hugely impressive Miami triumph and run to the semis at Cincinatti came an almighty upset at the hands of Croat Marian Cilic.

Once again the questions of durability and validty were fiercely raised. The same questions were also raised when Andy Roddick dealt Murray a deadly lesson at the hallowed turf of SW19.

Djokovic also had a somewhat strange year. The joker has fast become the forgotten player of the top four and is no longer considered among top selections when a Slam approaches.

But he did indeed have a solid and consistent year with two Slam quarter-finals, a Slam semi and a dissapointing exit in the second round at Roland Garros.

The Serbinator's exit at the French can be seen as equally unexpected as Murray's at the US. Novak was many people's pick to run Nadal closest following a hugely impressive clay-court stretch coming in.

A duel of three encounters in five weeks with Rafa was ended with the longest three-set match in history, lasting 4hrs 2mins. In order to progress and fulfil his undoubted potential, Novak has added Todd Martin to his coaching outfit. 2010 will see the result.

Following his maiden hard-court Slam it would have been easy to wax lyrical about Rafa's future propects, but persistent knee problems and the resurgence of a certain Roger Federer put paid to this.

When Nadal took a out-of-form Federer's mantle away, many people saw it being the end of Roger's reign, but fatherhood and the release of pressure following the capture of the Grand Slam record has seen a great resurgence.

2010 promises to be another fantastic year on the ATP tour with the return of an reinvigorated Murray and Nadal, a surely better equipped Djokovic and a once again supreme Federer.

There is also the newly-crowned prince Del Potro, the much improved Roddick, the bright Croat Cilic and the immense talent of enigmas such as Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco.

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