Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal a week prior to the event seemed to open the door for Roger Federer and Andy Murray to take the title. Instead, the 2008 Masters Cup turned out to be the most unpredictable one in years.

The draw produced an incredibly tough red group with Federer, Murray, Andy Roddick, and Nadal’s replacement Gilles Simon. As good as the Frenchman had been this year, he was a decided underdog against that trio of accomplished stars. Of course, don’t tell Simon that! He kicked off his maiden appearance at the prestigious year-end event by stunning Federer in three sets. Simon’s chances of reaching the last four improved again when Roddick turned an ankle in practice and pulled out after playing just one match (a three-set loss to Murray). Radek Stepanek was the highest-ranked player to accept an alternate invitation and he promptly when 0-2 (losing to Federer and Simon). Simon’s loss to Murray and victory over Stepanek left him at 2-1 and in need of Federer to go 1-2 due to Federer’s advantage in ratio of sets won.

That set the stage for Federer vs. Murray. Federer needed a win to advance, while Simon needed a Federer loss to advance. Murray, of course, was already guaranteed a semifinal spot after dispatching Roddick and Simon. Despite that, Murray gave it his all and he outlasted the Swiss in a three-set epic that lasted three hours and one minute.

The gold group looked far less imposing than the red when the draw was revealed. Novak Djokovic led the way ahead of Nikolay Davydenko, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Juan Martin Del Potro. Tsonga had just won the Masters Series Paris and Davydenko had reached the Paris semifinals, but Djokovic had been slumping and Del Potro was no longer on fire like he was during the summer. In the end, it produced none of the same drama as the Federer-Murray match, but the semifinal spots (one of them, at least) still came down to the very end.

Djokovic advanced after just two matches (defeating Del Potro an Davydenko) while Tsonga was quickly eliminated (losing to Davydenko and Del Potro), but that set the stage for a showdown between Del Potro and Davydenko for the second spot out of the gold foursome. The Argentine had recently routed Davydenko in Davis Cup semifinal action, but with no home-court advantage this time around, the outcome was much different. Davydenko cruised into the semis after just two sets.

The most exciting match of the final weekend turned out to be Djokovic vs. Simon in the semifinals. A grueling three-setter featured plenty of twists and turns, a Simon neck problem in the second set, and Djokovic cramping issues in the third set. In the end, however, it was the Serb who ultimately survived, prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 52 minutes. The other two matches were more straightforward. Murray’s heroic effort against Federer cost him dearly when he fell in routine fashion to Davydenko. The Russian, however, could not sustain that level under the pressure of a Masters Cup final and Djokovic rolled to the title in straight sets.

Now that it’s all said and done, let’s take a look at the superlatives from the 2008 Masters Cup:

Best match: Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray. This one had it all. A semifinal spot at stake. High-quality tennis. Momentum changes. Injury timeouts. Everything. Federer won the first set and had a chance to win it in two, but Murray forced a decisive third by winning the second in a tiebreaker. That’s when things really got crazy. Federer’s bad back stated acting up and Murray raced to a 3-0 lead. Out of nowhere, Federer suddenly seized new life and ran off four straight games to lead by a break, 4-3. Murray, however, got the break back and had seven match points with Federer serving at 4-5. The Swiss saved every one. But in the end, Murray had too much game for a slightly gimpy Federer and he prevailed 7-5 in the third after three hours and one minute.

Best decision: Novak Djokovic “tanking” his third set against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in round-robin play. Say what you will about the integrity (or lack thereof) of not trying your best, but it’s the reason why Djokovic had enough left in the tank to survive his marathon semifinal against Gilles Simon. Already assured of a semifinal spot, Djokovic did not need to beat Tsonga, and he played like it.

Best point: A 36-ball rally between Federer and Murray late in the second set, that ended with Murray diving well outside the court but unable to return a Federer smash. It’s no doubt available on YouTube or Masters Series TV for all to see.

Worst match: Nikolay Davydenko vs. Juan Martin Del Potro. The second semifinal spot in the gold group all came down to this one. To say it did not live up to the hype or the stakes would be an understatement, as Del Potro crashed out 6-3, 6-2.

Worst luck: Andy Roddick, turning an ankle in practice. Sure, his back was already up against the wall with an 0-1 record, but his hardest round-robin match (against Andy Murray) was already out of the way, so the American still had a fighting chance.

Overall, the 2008 Masters Cup started poorly (with Nadal’s withdrawal) and ended in lackluster fashion (with Djokovic’s routine win over Davydenko) but in between there were some outstanding matches and moments. It drops the curtain on the ATP season and should have fans eager for the beginning of 2009.

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