London: The Anti-Doha

So the groups have been announced for London, and my eyes went, obviously, to Federer's group. 'Oh no, that's so hard!' I thought... and then I looked at Group B, and it wasn't exactly a walk in the park either, and I realised that that's the point. Every single player in the year ending championships is really, really good.

Like in the WTA year ending championships, pretty much anyone can win this one. However, it's not because everyone is capable of losing, like it was over there. Every single one of these guys is capable of beating every other one of these guys on any given day. Unfortunately for me, it turned out that the two guys who've never had That Day against my beloved Roger Federer are in Rafa's group, but who knows? maybe this will prove useful in the later stages.

Group A contains the Mighty Fed, Muzz, JMDP and Nando; while Group B has Rafa, the Djoker, the Yoker and Kolya. That's quite a collection of players right there - especially when you consider that the Yoker only finished ninth and is coming in to take A-Rod's spot. It really makes you appreciate the level of tennis we have in the ATP at the moment.

So who's going to win? Well, I don't know. Just about any one of these players is capable of winning this tournament, and without being 100% sure of their form, it's hard to tell. I'm not liking the look of Murray very much, for example, but he does have a good record against Federer (although Federer totally trounced him the last time they played). Rafa is not exactly in his happy place right now, but is anyone ever really going to bet against him with the guts and steel that he has? Djokovic is in form, but he's just won two tournaments on the trot and might be a bit tired in the legs. And Federer... well, who can really tell with Roger? He might win every match in his group. He might win none at all. I'm hoping that that early exit he took in Paris will mean he's very fresh, but it could also mean his matchplay is not where it is.

And that's just the big four. We can't forget that JMDP is coming off the US Open, even though he hasn't done much since. Davydenko has showed some totally fierce form lately. Soderling Reborn is a bit of a monster and Verdasco has a forehand like whoa. All of these guys are really, really good. I know I've said this before, but it cannot be overemphasised. This is a bunch of total champs.

So who's going to win?

You tell me. I'm not going to pick it. Of course I'm pulling for Federer - he is my special favourite, after all - but with this field, anything can happen!