If Andy wins Paris and the World Tour Finals it becomes pretty close as 1 Slam+Olympic Gold+3 Masters+WTF+more smaller tournament wins in my opinion is on par with 2 Slams+4 Masters but without the WTF the Gold Medal and some additional wins at 500s definitely wouldn't be enough to compensate for Novak's 1 more Slam and 1 or 2 more Masters.
this is also my thinking.
while ranking by itself IS a credit worthy of standing and SHOULD be acknowledged on its own merits -- it is STILL one of distinct merits that comprise a YEAR of demonstrated excellence.
what i mean is:
a player can have the highest points by means of winning matches and titles...and become number one -- it stands on its own merits. and YET we have seen number ones who did not have majors and therefore it showed that in the light of the FULL year of accomplishments...there were many other things that many other number ones possessed - namely majors, masters, a certain qualitative ''dominance'' ACROSS the competitive field...
there were for example - marcelo rios - a number one but could not be completely accepted because he lacked MAJORS.
or of course caroline wozniacki as number one for a PROLONGED period WITHOUT a major to this day.
it is an example then that these are CATEGORIES that are distinct
having MAJORS is a category,
being number ONE is a category
having a great number of MASTERS is a category
being dominant against most of the rivals is a category
ANY OF THESE can stand on their own WITHOUT having the other categories in which one is considered ''the best" in THAT category.
this is why there are VERY FEW great players who are BOTH OR A COMBINATION
of those categories.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC is one of them in history, andy murray is not YET.
NOVAK possesses multiple majors, career slam - far beyond andy\s and is now quite on par with NADAL in amount of the biggest titles
majors, masters and being number one for years and sheer dominance against rivals for a prolonged period.
now that is 'over" as number one -- for the moment - i'ts been just a day, really.
it's andy's turn to also CONFIRM -- so to say -- that being number one is also further cemented by winning this title tomorrow and/or winning the ATP finals to give it closure --
to cap his WIMBLEDON, GOLD MEDAL as the outstanding credential of his being number one to OVERCOME
DJOKOVIC'S own qualitative standing , previously as of today, for being number one of not JUST the great part of the year but of a year FOLLOWING 2 and a half PREVIOUS years CONTINUOUSLY without let-up with such sheer dominance over the field AND his greatest rivals...
andy does not quite have THAT qualitative - CONSISTENT stature - even AS a new number one. it has to be FOLLOWED UP by even MORE FROM this day forward.
so --
i agree that unless ANDY does win both this title tomorrow and the AT tour -- the number one rank from today - while TRULY deserved - can not YET RAISE HIM on the par as ''best player of the year"
with NOVAK.
because one must remember that becoming number one today by andy FOLLOWS a VERY HEAVY , BIG body OF ACCOMPLISHMENT by novak of already 3 years continuously -
which has ''ended" today - yes - quite less than wished for from novak's side -- BUT CONTAINING 2 majors, completing the career slam (and even MORE rare occurrence than being number one ) ..
and just to drive the point home -- the most MASTERS won in the entire history of the men's game...
these were accomplished in 2016 by nole. and THAT -- even with the GOLD OLYMPICS (WHICH we must recall did NOT require FIVE SET matches in the lead-up rounds and so ''number of sets won" is a CONDITION that also must be taken into account as much as the ''nationalism" pressure can be) --
to make it clearer -- NO ONE will ever call MONICA PUIG the ''best player of the year" -- OVER ANGELIQUE kerber unless monica won at least ONE major - plus a few other things in some other category of qualitative merit.
the same applies - although in a much closer ''contest" with novak -- for ANDY MURRAY to be named
WITHOUT qualification as the 'best player of the year'.
it should rather - for now -- be said
ANDY MURRAY is the best player of the SECOND half of the year. where NOLE is the best right up to the FRENCH OPEN.
and everyone knows that IF there was NO olympic year -- as are most years --
2 majors plus number one rank until YESTERDAY , plus career slam, plus most masters, plus most dominant streak following years of dominance streak - including against best rivals -
does NOT make a player 'SECOND BEST" -- IN FACT - REGARDLESS OF the number one from TODAY -- AND WINNING ATP == should andy win it -- but were the olympic not there - but just
ONE MAJOR, top rank from november 5 2016,ATP championship
will STILL not be enough to match
with 2 majors, career, slam, most masters, dominance against rivals, of Novak.
it's pretty clear really.
so -- there IS A need for andy to CEMENT his number one by winning tomorrow -- or at the very LEAST - winning ATP title next week.
if not -- he will be number ONE in RANK- but not completely ''best player of the year" he will hve to share that with the 'new number TWO -- NOVAK".
