It's been a long, dark and rather wet spring but the arrival of the European clay court season is always a pleasant reminder that summer is not too far away.
Bearing in mind the horrendous weather of late it was a real pleasure to head over to Indian Wells recently and what a finale we had to that event! The Sunday showdown between Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro was one of the most exciting and incident filled clashes I have had the pleasure to witness first hand.
Federer can become pretty animated and angry when he's losing and there was further evidence of that as Del Po somehow triumphed to claim his first Masters title. I tipped him to win the US Open at the start of the year (when I also said Federer would pick up the Aussie crown again-how clever am I!) and he now looks a great bet for that. Incidentally, I've gone with Rafa and Grigor Dimitrov for the French and Wimbledon though the latter needs to find some form sooner rather than later.
The Miami Masters also ended in thrilling fashion with John Isner edging past an increasingly forlorn Alexander Zverev who's erratic forehand has to be a growing source of concern. We could not have wished for a more charming or under-assuming Champion in Isner who ensured Crandon Park's last staging of the event would be fondly remembered by all Americans.
As for the clay......well Rafa looked the part in his Davis Cup return and will almost certainly be the dominant force again. I hope that Novak Djokovic regains some rhythm and confidence now he has reunited with Marian Vajda. From a British point of view Kyle Edmund has to forget his frustrating post-Australian Open malaise and reproduce the sort of form that gave Nadal a run for his money in Monte-Carlo last year.
Follow all the action from Monte, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome with me live on Sky Sports from April 16th.