Federer and Nadal are the top seeds in Doha, with Tsonga and Davydenko #3 and #4. Federer could face Gulbis in the quarters while Nadal could face Troicki.

Top seeds in Chennai are Berdych and twice defending champ Cilic, whose 2011 was downright woeful after the Australian. Cilic drew Kei Nishikori in the first round.

Brisbane has Soderling, Roddick, and Verdasco (who says he wants to be top 5 this year), and an allegedly fit Baghdatis. More interestingly, the next generation -- Berankis, Harrison -- is coming through the qualifiers thus far.

Rafa lost to Davydenko

this explains it.

Has Rafa ever retired from a match? I'm sure he has, but i'm drawing a blank.

so it won't be a raf-rog final to kick off the year.

btw, anyone know if the Doha final is being televised in the states? TC has Brisbane and Chennai, but i don't see Doha.

Actually, Rafa's retired from a number of matches...most notably last year's Australian Open,

Oh. duh. I should have remembered that.

Rog has his first title of the year, beating Daydenko in Doha!

Yeah, Federer has a spotless record regarding retiring in matches (his only retirement being a w/o), whereas Nadal has some contested ones. I wasn't a fan of the retirement against Murray, and it's a credit to Murray -- tho not good for his outlook/game? -- that he still puts Rafa on a pedestal.

Davydenko owns Nadal on hard courts. He is capable of doing what Nalbandian used to do to Nadal indoors -- dictate rallies and angles. Though I guess Nadal was under the weather this time.

What with Federer's flu/mono and Nadal's fever this year, I wonder about the competitive wisdom of their layover approach to Australia. Of course, money talks.

Sickness issues aside, it's true on the women's side as well -- players like Wozniacki and Zvonareva go to Hong Kong and then get their asses handed to them upon arrival in Australia.

But then, Federer and Nadal have won all the recent Australian Opens save one, so what do I know?

This week the players are in Auckland and Sydney. Simon and Gulbis are playing well in Sydney and Troicki continues to shore up his Davis Cup achievement. (Tho I was disappointed how meekly he went down to Federer in Doha.) Del Potro went down to Flo Mayer in Sydney -- he looks to have a long road ahead, tho clay season might help him.

In Auckland, Santiago Giraldo seems to be translating his clay success to hard courts. I like watching him when he plays well, he's got a dynamic and unorthodox game.