When the temperature starts dipping from the infernal heat and humidity of summer, when American collegiates put on football helmets on and their professional counterparts do the same, the American tennis-watching public tunes off tennis and turn their attentions elsewhere.  It’s the post-season in baseball.  College and pro (American) football is starting up.  Basketball and hockey are starting their seasons.

It’s tough to remember that there’s still tennis being played after the US Open.

Two weeks ago, the week after the US Open, there were two tournaments in Europe.  One on hard courts in Metz, France won by Gilles Simon who hadn’t won a tournament since Bangkok, almost a year ago.  Veteran Chela won on clay in Romania to add to the title he won in Houston.

Then, the tour headed to Asia.  Last year, this swing was the site of a bizarre accident where Sam Querrey, in his visit to Bangkok, when he fell through a glass table, in hindsight, a mistake, but he did it to avoid sitting on a sweaty chair that he just sat in pre-shower.  Surprisingly, Rafael Nadal played an ATP 250 event, but lost to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the semifinals despite numerous break chances.  Garcia-Lopez took the best of his opportunities and beat Finnish veteran, Jarkko Nieminen in the final.  Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, Russian veteran, Mikhail Youzhny won the tournament.

This week, two ATP 500 events are about to wrap up.  In Tokyo, Nadal almost duplicated his semifinal exit.  Victor Troicki, the number 2 Serbian player, was in a position to do what few players have done.  Upset the world’s number 1, Rafael Nadal.  He had match points, but then with a flurry of errors, gave Nadal a break, pushed the match into a tiebreak, and barely eked out a victory.  Nadal will face Gael Monfils who has abandoned his afro for mini-dreads.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, at the site of the 2008 Olympics and hosting both a men’s and women’s tournament, the top seed Djokovic has made it to the finals beating Isner in the semis (who upset Davydenko in the quarters).  Murray lost to Ljubicic, and despite coming back from an early break to David Ferrer and having game points to hold to 5-all, found himself the loser as he gave a break back to Ferrer.  Djokovic will face Ferrer in the finals at Beijing.

Juan Martin del Potro, who recently came back on tour, has decided to skip Shanghai, not because of his wrist, but because of aches and pains due to not playing much of this year.  Meanwhile, Federer, as he did last year, has chosen to take a few weeks to rest and train, and will make his debut back on tour in Shanghai.

Djokovic and Nadal will be favored to win their respective tournaments.  Djokovic is defending champ in Beijing.  He recently qualified for the year-end tournament in London, being the third player to do so, after Nadal and Federer.  Five more players have yet to qualify.