Early this season, a five-team panel made its predictions for the Top 10 American men according to the year-end rankings. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the Grandstand’s own Ricky Dimon came out top of what was an impossible contest in which nobody proved to be especially successful.
2013 American rankings
1. John Isner
2. Sam Querrey
3. Tim Smyczek
4. Michael Russell
5. Donald Young
6. Bradley Klahn
7. Ryan Harrison
8. Jack Sock
9. Denis Kudla
10. Rajeev Ram
11. Rhyne Williams
12. Wayne Odesnik
13. Alex Kuznetsov
14. James Blake
15. Steve Johnson
16. Bobby Reynolds
17. Tennys Sandgren
18. Robby Ginepri
19. Austin Krajicek
20. Bjorn Fratangelo
21. Chase Buchanan
22. Jarmere Jenkins
23. Brian Baker
24. Mardy Fish
Calculations based on one point (or one strike against you) per number of ranking spots off for each prediction. For example, if you had John Isner second (he finished first) you would got one point off. If you had Mardy Fish third (he finished 24th) you got 21 points off.
Ricky Dimon: 32 points off
Ricky won handily because he avoided both the Fish and Brian Baker traps. He had none of those injury-plagued veterans in his Top 10. His worst pick—by far—was James Blake at No. 4, which cost him 10 points. Everything else was solid for the most part.
1. Sam Querrey -1
2. John Isner -1
3. Ryan Harrison -4
4. James Blake -10
5. Michael Russell -1
6. Tim Smyczek -3
7. Rhyne Williams -4
8. Steve Johnson -7
9. Jack Sock -1
10. Rajeev Ram E
Steen Kirby (Tennis East Coast): 46 points off
Fish in the Top 10 killed Steen, just as it did everyone else. Rhyne Williams as high as No. 4 did not help, nor did having Steve Johnson at No. 8 and Blake at No. 9—although neither one of those picks were particularly bad.
1. Sam Querrey -1
2. John Isner -1
3. Michael Russell -1
4. Rhyne Williams -7
5. Ryan Harrison -2
6. Tim Smyczek -3
7. Mardy Fish -17
8. Steve Johnson -7
9. James Blake -5
10. Jack Sock -2
Josh Meiseles (The Sixth Set): 48 points off
Josh jumped on the Baker bandwagon and the result was the equivalent of a bakery product in a set of tennis. His Top 10 could not recover from that proverbial 6-0 defeat and throwing Fish in there at No. 8 only added insult to injury. To Josh’s credit, his Top 4 (not in the same order) involving Isner, Querrey, Smyczek, and Russell was correct.
1. Sam Querrey -1
2. John Isner -1
3. Tim Smyczek E
4. Michael Russell E
5. Brian Baker -18
6. Ryan Harrison -1
7. Rhyne Williams -4
8. Mardy Fish -16
9. Steve Johnson -6
10. Denis Kudla -1
Romi Cvitkovic (Tennis View Magazine): 57 points off
Romi tried to avoid Fish and Baker, but she could not do it. None was in here top six, but Fish came in at No. 7 and Baker just sneaked in at No. 10. Ryan Harrison at No. 3 did not turn out to be a good pick and her infatuation with former college players (Williams at No. 5 and Johnson at No. 6) contributed to the downfall.
1. Sam Querrey -1
2. John Isner -1
3. Ryan Harrison -4
4. Tim Smyczek -1
5. Rhyne Williams -6
6. Steve Johnson -9
7. Mardy Fish -17
8. Michael Russell -4
9. Jack Sock -1
10. Brian Baker -13
Ben Rothenberg (New York Times): 58 points off
Do you compare Ben to the Houston Texans? If you do, it would be accurate. Both are in last place and that means Ben has the proverbial first pick in 2014 (in other words, he will be the first writer invited to the 2014 installment of the annual contest). Having both Fish and Baker shattered any designs Ben had of being a serious contender in this guessing game.
1. Sam Querrey -1
2. John Isner -1
3. Mardy Fish -21
4. Brian Baker -19
5. Ryan Harrison -2
6. Michael Russell -2
7. Tim Smyczek -4
8. James Blake -6
9. Rhyne Williams -2
10. Rajeev Ram E
well done, Rickster. This is indeed an ‘an impossible contest’