The New Year is with us and good riddance to the old. At least, that is how Rafael Nadal seems to feel about 2015.
Perhaps, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic would look back at 2015 a bit more fondly? Or would they?
Agreed, they had a grand year, but it was not free of heartbreaks. Williams failed in her bid to become only the fourth woman in history (third in the Open era) to win all four grand slams in a year, while French Open eluded Djokovic yet again.
Roger Federer, who turned 34 in August, should have few complaints about the season he just had, but the Swiss master lost to Djokovic in the final of two majors – Wimbledon and the US Open – and the World Tour Finals.
So there is plenty to wish for in 2016 and here is our list for some of the top stars of tennis.
Rafael Nadal: stays healthy
The Spaniard has few reasons to remember 2015 for, except heartbreaks. For the first time since his maiden grand slam success in 2005, Nadal finished the year without a major title. Battling doubts and insecurities, he had slumped to as low as No 10 in June – his lowest ranking since April, 2005.
He has since recovered to climb back to No 5 and looked like the Nadal of old in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship last week as he beat David Ferrer and Milos Raonic on his way to the title.
So the confidence is coming back. Hopefully, his battered body supports him as well through the next 12 months.
Roger Federer: wins Wimbledon
The Swiss has lost two Wimbledon finals in a row, both to Djokovic and his fans will be hoping he gets third time lucky.
Federer’s 2016 schedule is clearly geared towards giving him the best chance of winning his eighth Wimbledon crown and he has hired Ivan Ljubicic – a man with, what conspiracy theorists would call, inside information on Djokovic – to his coaching staff.
Online poll: Will Roger Federer win a grand slam title in 2016?
So it would be interesting to see how that works out.
This is the Olympic year as well and the Olympic singles gold is the only significant silverware still missing from Federer’s loaded trophy shelf. So a Wimbledon crown and an Olympic gold … that would be just perfect.
Maria Sharapova: stays injury free
Sharapova started 2015 well, winning her 34th career title in Brisbane and reaching the Australian Open final. She reached the semis at Wimbledon later, but a right leg injury forced her to miss the US Open series.
Playing her first match on her return, in Wuhan, the Russian suffered a forearm injury and was forced to pull out of that tournament and the China Open.
So, staying injury-free should be at the top of Sharapova’s wish list, especially given her three shoulder injuries earlier.
Novak Djokovic: triumphs at Roland Garros
The Serb has reached the French Open final in three of the last four years, but has failed in his bid to join Andre Agassi, Federer and Nadal on a select list of men who have completed a career grand slam in the Open era.
Two of those defeats came against Nadal, but the last one was a shocker – Stan Wawrinka played some monster tennis to pummel the Serb into submission. It was a heart breaking defeat and his fans, and neutrals even, will be praying Djokovic gets that elusive trophy in 2016.
Serena Williams: wins Golden Slam
She failed in her calendar Grand Slam bid in 2015, shocked by Italian Roberta Vinci in the semi-final of the US Open, in what is, undoubtedly, the greatest upset in women’s tennis.
A heartbroken Williams did not take to the court again in 2015, but she should be back with a vengeance in 2016 and a Golden Slam – all four majors of the year and the Olympic gold – could well be within her reach.
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TEENS TO WATCH OUT FOR
The 2016 season should see several youngsters emerge. Ahmed Rizvi picks five with good potential.
Belinda Bencic (Age 18 Ranking 14) The highest ranked teenager on the WTA Tour – next best is Russian Daria Kasatkina at No 75 – the Swiss reached four finals in 2015, winning two, including the Canadian Open, where she beat six grand slam finalist en route. Expect more of the same.
Borna Coric (Age 19 Ranking 33) “When I’m at my best I am more like Djokovic game-wise… when I’m not, I’m more like Murray,” the Croat teenager said in Dubai last week. He did not get too many points for modesty, but he is a future superstar with straight sets wins over Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray already on his CV.
Hyeon Chung (Age 19 Ranking 51) Starting 2015 at No 173 in the rankings, the South Korean has climbed to No 51 and was voted ATP’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2015 by his peers. Should keep his steady progress going.
Ana Konjuh (Age 18 Ranking 82) Another potential grand slam winner from Croatia. Given her huge serve, she should get there sooner than later. However, she has already undergone an elbow surgery and that could be a concern in the coming years.
Alexander Zverev (Age 18 Ranking 83) The youngest man in the ATP’s top 100, the 6ft 6ins Russian-turned-German is being hailed as a future superstar, and his deep, flat groundstrokes should cause some severe damage on the Tour in 2016.
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RANKINGS
ATP
Player (Country) Points
1 N Djokovic (SRB) 16,585
2 A Murray (GBR) 8,945
3 R Federer (SUI) 8,265
4 S Wawrinka (SUI) 6,865
5 R Nadal (ESP) 5,230
6 T Berdych (CZE) 4,620
7 D Ferrer (ESP) 4,305
8 T Nishikori (JPN) 4,235
9 R Gasquet (FRA) 2,850
10 JW Tsonga (FRA) 2,635
WTA
Player (Country) Points
1 S Williams (USA) 9,945
2 S Halep (ROU) 6,060
3 G Muguruza (ESP) 5,200
4 M Sharapova (RUS) 5,011
5 A Radwanska (POL) 4,500
6 P Kvitova (CZE) 4,220
7 V Williams (USA) 3,790
8 F Pennetta (ITA) 3,621
9 L Safarova (CZE) 3,590
10 A Kerber (GER) 3,590
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PREVIEW
Brisbane International
Place: Brisbane, Australia
Venue: Queensland Centre
Duration: Until January 10
Prize money: ATP: $404,780 (Dh1.49 million), WTA: $885,500
Surface: Hard/Outdoors
Defending champions: ATP: Roger Federer; WTA: Maria Sharapova
ATP Qatar Open
Place: Doha, Qatar
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex
Duration: Until January 9
Prize money: $1,189,605
Surface: Hard/Outdoors
Defending champion: David Ferrer
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