Novak Djokovic: Serb could call the shots at start of 2014 season

Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic achieved a lot in 2013, but I think the first two will be the most happy with their seasons.

Surprised

David Nalbandian, though, will be absent from the tour next year after announcing his retirement - and while I never like using the word 'underachiever' to describe a player, perhaps you have to use it to describe the Argentine. If you'd said to me 10 years ago Nalbandian would have ended his career without a Grand Slam title and without really establishing himself in that top four of five on a consistent basis, I would have been very surprised. With his ability on all surfaces and the way he played the game - I remember on one occasion when he made Rafa look average - I thought he would have achieved more, although an appearance in a Wimbledon final and reaching four other Grand Slam semi-finals gives an indication of his class. It is a brutal world at the top of the game and David has suffered from injuries over the last few seasons, but if he had the tenacity of Lleyton Hewitt - someone he had more talent than - he could have done so much more. Another recent retiree, Elena Baltacha, also had injuries and illness to contend with, but towards the backend of her career established herself in the top 100 - and, because of her big serve, I think she had a little bit more in her and I'm sure she does, too. You always want your best players to move into coaching roles and give something back and it seems like Elena is planning to do that, but going straight into that after years on the tour can be tough because it's more about when you say things than what you know. Every player is different - some need an arm around them, some need a kick up the backside - and knowing how to deal with them only comes with experience, so if that's what Elena wants to do then she need someone to mentor her. Something which, for me, has been lacking in the last 20 or 25 years in British tennis.