Top Tennis Storylines to Follow Heading into the 2017 Season
An unpredictable and turbulent 2016 season saw the ascension of Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber to the No. 1 ranking.
A red-hot Murray soared past a slumping Novak Djokovic, who went from paradise to crisis mode as the year progressed.
Djokovic's regression laid a path for Murray, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After winning Wimbledon and the Olympics for the second time and finally conquering the World Tour Finals, the Scot holds all the power.
Likewise for Kerber, who broke through to win the Australian Open and U.S. Open, supplanting an injury-riddled and aging Serena Williams.
Roger Federer can empathize with Williams. Sustaining the first severe injury of his career, Federer barely played this year. His career ticking down, who knows how many more chances await him or if he'll be the same player again.
On the other end of the spectrum but facing similar questions is Maria Sharpova. Banned since March because of a failed drug test, the five-time Grand Slam champion hopes to put that ignominy behind her once that suspension ends next spring.
With the short tennis offseason underway, it won't be long before the action resumes at the end of December. And there's a lot to ponder in the meantime.
As 2017 fast approaches, those aforementioned stars and several others deserve close attention.
New Stars on the Rise
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Before we turn to the established champions, let's take a moment to pinpoint a few contenders looking to join their ranks.
On the women's side, Madison Keys, 21, and Karolina Pliskova, 24, are two younger players on the precipice of winning Grand Slams. Keys already has a major semifinal appearance under her belt (2015 Australian Open), though she failed to reach the quarterfinal stage this year. With her booming serves and groundstrokes, it's just a matter of time until things click.
The equally powerful Pliskova nearly won her maiden Grand Slam at this year's U.S. Open, falling in three sets to Kerber. Ranked No. 6 because of her efforts, it's clear that she'll be a prime factor for years to come.
Both of them will try to follow in the footsteps of reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who conquered Paris (and Williams) at age 22.
Several men would also like a taste of that kind of success, including Milos Raonic.
The 25-year-old Canadian, now up to a career-high ranking of No. 3, advanced to his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and recorded eight wins over top-10 opponents. Nearly upending Murray at the World Tour Finals last week, he's not far from the summit.
In a similar position is Kei Nishikori, 26, perhaps the best player currently without a major title. Health is always a question with him, though he can compete with (and beat) the best on any day when he's 100 percent.
Behind them, are the talented trio of Dominic Thiem, 23, Alexander Zverev, 19, and Nick Kyrgios, 21. All three are dripping with potential, and we saw them begin to channel it in 2016. While the volatile Kyrgios is obviously the wild card of the group, his talent in undeniable.
Could they form the next ATP triumvirate?
Uncertainty Surrounding Rafael Nadal's Future
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Showing brief flashes of his former dominance during the clay-court swing, Rafael Nadal's season took a turn for the worse when a wrist injury forced him to retire from the French Open and miss Wimbledon.
When he returned, Nadal struggled to fully recover. It really seemed like he was finally rounding back into shape during the spring, but all that progress went by the wayside because of his brittle body. At age 30, it's fair to wonder if we'll ever see him scale the heights of his past glory again.
That wrist forced Nadal to prematurely end his season after a first-round loss in Shanghai. Slipping to No. 9, he won only two titles and put together a 39-14 record in 2016—paltry numbers compared to his old standards.
Nadal hasn't made the semifinals of a Grand Slam since he won the 2014 French Open. The last time he even made a quarterfinal at a major came at Roland Garros the following year.
It's not all doom and gloom for Nadal, who remains one of the sport's key figures. But as he enters the next stage of his career, the prospects aren't exactly inspiring.
For him, as always, the goal will be to get healthy. Then maybe he can begin to find some of that old magic.
Angelique Kerber Tries to Maintain Place at the Top
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Good things come to those who wait.
Prior to 2016, Kerber had neither won a Grand Slam or made a final at one. Her last appearance in a major semifinal happened at Wimbledon in 2012.
A perpetual mainstay in the Top 10 for several seasons, Kerber burst through the ceiling and took her career to a new level this year. Suddenly, she's building a resume the International Tennis Hall of Fame will one day consider.
It began in Australia, where Kerber upset heavily favored Williams for the title. Though she'd lose their rematch in the Wimbledon final, Kerber had the last laugh by winning the U.S. Open and becoming the new world No. 1.
Along with a silver medal at the Olympics and runner-up finishes at the WTA Championships and Western & Southern Open, Kerber compiled 63 victories, a new single-season best for the German.
The target is squarely on her shoulders entering 2017.
"I will try to take this challenge, because it will be a little bit new situation for me," Kerber told the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham. "But at the end, I was always practicing and working hard to be No. 1. Now I can also take the next step and try to stay as long as I can there.”
Still only 28 years old, Kerber is in the middle of her prime and won't be going away anytime soon.
Roger Federer's Return
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Federer's 2016 campaign began with hopes of winning an eighth Wimbledon title and his first gold in Olympic singles. But it soon turned into a year to forget for the Swiss legend.
The day after his semifinal loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open, Federer tore his left meniscus. It's an injury that never fully healed, lingering throughout the spring and forcing him to shut down his season following his semifinal dismissal from Wimbledon.
Also dealing with a back injury that forced him out of the French Open, Federer wound up playing only 28 matches. His ranking now sits at a lowly No. 16—his first stay outside of the Top 10 in 14 years.
When Federer returns at the Hopman Cup in January, as he's currently slated to do, it'll mark his first action in six months. Because of injuries and inactivity, it's been over a year since he even won a title.
At 35, can Federer shake off all that rust and pick up where he left off? And how will he hold up physically?
Those are questions that may take time to definitively answer. Either way, the return of the sport's most popular player will infuse extra energy into the upcoming calendar.
Maria Sharapova's Comeback After Lengthy Suspension
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Another star player is keen to make a winning return in 2017. Only this one under different circumstances.
Testing positive for the banned drug meldonium in January at the Australian Open, Sharapova wound up receiving a two-year doping suspension from the International Tennis Federation.
Taking her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sharapova eventually had the sentence reduced by nine months. She's now eligible to return on April 26, 2017—just in time for the French Open.
''I've gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April,'' Sharapova said in a statement, per the Associated Press (h/t Tennis.com).
We'll have to wait to see what kind of reception Sharapova receives and how quickly she can move back up in the rankings.
Novak Djokovic Looks to Rebound
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A season that begin with titles at the Australian Open and French Open (along with three Masters Series wins) generated a massive lead in the rankings for Djokovic and talk of a potential calendar Golden Slam.
But something happened to Djokovic in the weeks after Roland Garros. Lacking his usual spark, the two-time defending Wimbledon champion exited the All England Club in the third round.
If that wasn't alarming enough, his dream of winning Olympic gold vanished with a first-round loss to Juan Martin del Potro.
During the U.S. Open final later in the summer, Djokovic took the opening set but slowly imploded against an opportunistic Stan Wawrinka.
Dealing with a variety of small injuries and referring cryptically to personal problems, Djokovic began to battle himself just as much as his opponents. He became more volatile on the court, arguing with chair umpires, tossing rackets and ripping shirts among other foibles. That sense of calm that characterized him for so long suddenly vanished.
His most recent tournament victory came at the Rogers Cup in July. Since then, he's entered an intensifying slump.
As the defeats piled up, a motivated Murray took advantage and eventually usurped Djokovic's ranking in Paris. When they met in the championship match at the World Tour Finals this past weekend, Murray throttled a beleaguered Djokovic into submission, taking the title and keeping No. 1 for good.
For the first time in several years, Djokovic, 29, enters an offseason with plenty of questions. Instead of the hunted, he's back to being the hunter. Maybe that reversal of fortunes and some self-reflection can help rekindle his inner fire before his title defense at the Australian Open.
The Reclamation of Serena Williams
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For the second straight year, Williams left the U.S. Open in disappointing fashion.
In 2015, Roberta Vinci pulled off a stunning upset of the American, who was closing in on a calendar Grand Slam. This time around, Williams fell to an aggressive Pliskova. With that loss, she vacated her No. 1 ranking.
Staring up at Kerber, who defeated Williams in the Australian Open final, Williams ended her season after the U.S. Open. Just like she did last year.
Opting for rest to fully recover from shoulder and knee problems that ailed her this year, she told CNN: "I'm tired of playing tournaments unhealthy and taking losses that I would never lose. I definitely want to make sure I'm healthy and playing at my best or at least 80 percent healthy or 70 percent healthy—that way I can be able to play at a higher level."
Despite playing 37 fewer matches in 2016 than Kerber, Williams sits only 2,030 points behind in the rankings. That's a margin the 35-year-old could erase quite quickly if she returns to form as expected.
The Reign of Andy Murray
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Long live the new king?
Murray certainly hopes so.
Overtaking Djokovic in Paris to become No. 1 for the first time, Murray outwitted his Serbian rival at the World Tour Finals and took home the year-end top spot.
The first British player to ever hold the No. 1 ranking, Murray compiled a season for the ages. His 78-9 record and collection of nine titles are both career-highs. Of those nine tournament victories, six came at big events (Masters Series or higher): Wimbledon, Olympics, World Tour Finals, Rome, Shanghai and Paris.
He'll take his current 25-match winning streak into 2017 with the knowledge that he's the new man to beat. Everyone now looks up to him.
“I would obviously like to stay there," Murray told ATPWorldTour.com. "I'm aware that's going to be extremely difficult because I had a great year this year. I only managed to do it by one match. To repeat that again next year is going to be extremely difficult."
Ever the realist, Murray has a real chance to pad his ranking through the French Open. He'll have to get comfortable wearing that crown.
All statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com and WTATennis.com unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
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