So a new year of tennis and the men are making a racket. Djokovic wants his #1 ranking back, and already has a title and a win over Murray under his belt.
Novak looked unstoppable until Wimbledon of last year, but then got trampled by a human tornado in Andy Murray last year. But since they're in Australian as I write this, Djokovic has the edge over Murray. That win earlier this year at Doha not only got him his first title of the year, but as mentioned, he beat Murray. That's the kind of confidence he needs going into the Australian Open. He looked sharp in his first round win over Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco got a set off him in the semis of Doha, but not at the event that Djokovic has won six times. Look for Djokovic to have deep runs in not on the Australian Open and French, but also he'll no doubt have a better showing at Wimbledon. If he stays healthy, I wouldn't bet against him winning at least one grand slam and regaining the #1 ranking.
Andy no doubt wishes it was still 2016. What a finish. The new #1 ranked player in the world is still looking for:
A) For his first Australian Open title (0-5 in finals)
B) His first French Open (Lost to Djokovic last year)
Murray won Wimbledon, but hasn't gotten to a US Open finals since he won it back in 2012. As he's shown the last two years, he's a man to fear once the clay court season starts. And if he can get some better results at both Indian Wells and Miami, he might just hold on to that top ranking for a while. Whether or not he ends the year #1 is another matter. I think Andy will finishes ranked second at worst.
Mr. 3-0 in Grand Slam finals has won exactly one of them in the last three years. But as you can see, he hasn't advanced to any other major finals. I believe his string of that will run out this year. I actually don't think he will win a grand slam this year. However, look for him to make deep runs in at least three of them, and pick up five or six titles. A top 5 finish is a good bet.
Always a battler, he gave Murray all he could handle last year at Wimbledon. Was the only man to take two sets off him. Finalist in Australia way back in 2008. He's beaten Federer at Wimbledon and Canada (Right there in the finals). Joe is amazingly fast around the court, and the type of player to watch out for at the Grand Slams. His best years though, like Ferrer's, are probably behind him.
References
Infosys, FedEx, Peugeot, and LeSports. "Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour | Tennis." ATP World Tour. Emirates. Web. . <http://www.atpworldtour.com/>.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>
Djokovic
Novak looked unstoppable until Wimbledon of last year, but then got trampled by a human tornado in Andy Murray last year. But since they're in Australian as I write this, Djokovic has the edge over Murray. That win earlier this year at Doha not only got him his first title of the year, but as mentioned, he beat Murray. That's the kind of confidence he needs going into the Australian Open. He looked sharp in his first round win over Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco got a set off him in the semis of Doha, but not at the event that Djokovic has won six times. Look for Djokovic to have deep runs in not on the Australian Open and French, but also he'll no doubt have a better showing at Wimbledon. If he stays healthy, I wouldn't bet against him winning at least one grand slam and regaining the #1 ranking.
Murray
Andy no doubt wishes it was still 2016. What a finish. The new #1 ranked player in the world is still looking for:
A) For his first Australian Open title (0-5 in finals)
B) His first French Open (Lost to Djokovic last year)
Murray won Wimbledon, but hasn't gotten to a US Open finals since he won it back in 2012. As he's shown the last two years, he's a man to fear once the clay court season starts. And if he can get some better results at both Indian Wells and Miami, he might just hold on to that top ranking for a while. Whether or not he ends the year #1 is another matter. I think Andy will finishes ranked second at worst.
Wawrinka
Mr. 3-0 in Grand Slam finals has won exactly one of them in the last three years. But as you can see, he hasn't advanced to any other major finals. I believe his string of that will run out this year. I actually don't think he will win a grand slam this year. However, look for him to make deep runs in at least three of them, and pick up five or six titles. A top 5 finish is a good bet.
Nadal
A few years ago, it looked like Rafa was going to easily pass his old pal Roger Federer in career grand slams and make it at least 10 French Opens titles won. Neither has happened yet, and now Nadal has Novak Djokovic 26-23 against him lifetime (After once being up 14-4), and is stuck at 14 slams. Djokovic has 12 and could actually pass him in that category this year. He had some moments last year, but nearly three years has elapses since Rafa beat Novak or won a slam. Can he make it back? I'm not sure. And if it does happens, it won't be until the clay court season.
Federer
The mighty one had 2016 derailed by injuries despite making another two grand slam semis. He's up to 39 semi-finals reached in The Big Four tournaments. But missed the rest of the year following Wimbledon. And at 35, can he continue to compete? That, is a tough question. He still has that aura, but he's also seeded 17th in the Australian Open. There is, of course, an irony there: That's the number of grand slams he's won!
But none since 2012.
There might be a great result here or there, but I can't see Roger getting back to the top five. He's had a great career. But he (And probably Nadal, too) has seen his time pass. The new generation is here. Murray has obtained his peak. Djokoic is Djokovic. There just isn't any more room for Roger Federer to win any more grand slams.
Raonic
Milos just wants to get his first grand slam in 2017. Finalist at Wimbledon in 2016, where Andy Murray prevailed over him in three tight sets, he's back to the scene of taking him to five in last year's semifinals. Can he go further? My guess for Milos is he can win a slam this year, but most likely it will be Wimbledon or the US. The heat could be a big factor. Plus, Murray and Djokovic are on a collision course, and Raonic will be hard-pressed to beat them, at the level they are at right now.
Cilic
Nearly out in the first round of the years' first Grand Slam. What's up with the 2014 US Open winner? He won in Cincinnati last year, and was looking for his third straight semifinal appearance in the years' final major. It didn't work out. He's sort of in Raonic's boat. I can see him winning a slam this year, but my guess would be Wimbledon, given his big serve.
del Potro
Nowhere to be found in Australia, as he's skipping the Australian Open due to fitness concerns. Too bad, really. Juan had one great finish to the year, and a silver medal in Rio to boot. A big comeback year capped off by a two-set down comeback vs. Cilic at the Davis Cup. A Grand Slam might be a lot to ask for this year from Juan. But how about a return to the top ten? That's doable. Just as Cilic is in Raonic's boat, I'd say the same thing about Del Potro: He's in Wawrinka's boat! But look for Del Potro to make some noise at the remaining three slams, assuming he stays healthy.
Ferrer
Did you know this guy has 41 match wins Down Under? Hasn't won the Australian Open, but won his first round match in 2017. David Ferrer will be 35 in April of this year and has 26 titles to his name. None, however, have been Grand Slams. Yet he finds ways to hang around longer than he should at the big stage. Obviously, he isn't going to win a major this year, but come clay court season, I wouldn't be surprised (If David is healthy) if his game picks up.
Berdych
Tomas Berdych lost to Roger Federer at the Australian Open last year, and could face him in the third round this year. Tomas has 13 titles and two wins over Roger in Grand Slams in his career. Actually, he's beaten Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the big stage (Nadal, right here in 2015). However, he's only once been past the semifinals of a Grand Slam, and that was back in 2010. I don't think that trend will change this year, but I think Tomas could definitely beat Roger this year at Australia. From there, his path could take him to Kei Nishikori. That's probably as far as he goes. As for the rest of the year, who knows? I think Tomas is at the point where he can beat both Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, but it's a whole new ballgame when he faces Andy Murray (His potential semifinal opponent) or Novak Djokovic). He doesn't have the game to beat either of them. Not likely he can beat Stan The Man, either.
Nishikori
Beat Murray at the US Open last year, and was a finalist there in 2014. He likes hard court, so he should have a good result in Australia. But of the "New" guys around (Cilic, Raonic and Nishikori) he's sort of the low man on the scale. He game just enough to compete with Cilic, Raonic, Murray or Djokovic. Wawrinka, too.
Tsonga
Always a battler, he gave Murray all he could handle last year at Wimbledon. Was the only man to take two sets off him. Finalist in Australia way back in 2008. He's beaten Federer at Wimbledon and Canada (Right there in the finals). Joe is amazingly fast around the court, and the type of player to watch out for at the Grand Slams. His best years though, like Ferrer's, are probably behind him.
References
Infosys, FedEx, Peugeot, and LeSports. "Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour | Tennis." ATP World Tour. Emirates. Web. . <http://www.atpworldtour.com/>.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>
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