3. The Rivalries Are Hotter Than Ever
2013 has been turbulent to say the least. The season started with Djokovic at the top with Nadal out on injury and it didn't look like he was going to be a threat to the number one spot. But surprise, surprise! He was back by March and warming up on clay in preparation for the French Open, which he won and looked in impressive form. In what was possibly the greatest comeback in sporting history, Nadal managed to claw his way back up the rankings and not only win the French Open but steal the number one ranking off Djokovic by the end of the season, beating him in the US Open final. This reignited the great rivalry between the two players and has set the stage ahead of the 2014 season for them to battle it out with less than 1000 points separating the pair (the value of an ATP Masters 1000 title which either could win many of in a season.) But this isn't the only rivalry that was hot this year. Djokovic was getting in to the habit of depriving Andy Murray from Grand Slam victory, having snatched the Australian Open from him twice. But Murray had got one back by taking the US Open last September so it was always going to be interesting to see how this rivalry evolved in the 2013 season. As it turned out, Djokovic took the Australian Open again after meeting Murray in the final. But Murray exacted the sweetest revenge by beating the Serb in the final of Wimbledon. The Scot has said how this has relieved him of a lot of pressure and his next target is the number one ranking. He has his work cut out for him though after finishing the 2013 season with injury and currently sits at number four under Ferrer, Djokovic and Nadal. And let's not forget that the likes of Del Potro, Berdych and Federer are always biting at the heels of the top four and causing upsets whenever possible. So this season could really see anything happen. With this much volatility in the air of the tennis world, there's going to be a lot of media attention and coverage of the action that unfolds which will, no doubt, increase our thirst for great tennis action in our virtual worlds. With fierce rivalries between players, there are always fierce rivalries between fans and there's nothing we love more than correcting our favourite player's defeat by punishing our gloating mate on Top Spin. Nothing translates into a great sports game than fierce rivalries. They allow us to get really involved in the drama of it all and challenge both ourselves and other gamers to take up the rivalries online.