Stock Watch for Top Men's Stars After the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals
An anti-climatic conclusion to the ATP World Tour Finals didn't stop the stock of all eight competitors fluctuating from match to match.
Roger Federer's withdrawal from his final meeting with Novak Djokovic hardly made a dint in his polished armour. To bookend the tournament in this manner will hurt the 33-year-old, though, whose performances throughout were rich in class and ingenuity.
Andy Murray was twice comfortably undone in Group B, curtailing any chance he had of sealing a remarkable end to the year.
Kei Nishikori lit up the O2 Arena and began to cement his name in the minds of those casual followers of the sport. To tennis aficionados, however, he was preaching to the converted with some excellent performances.
The following slides will gauge where the eight players' stocks are at, with the tennis world preparing to hibernate for the winter.
Marin Cilic
1 of 8
Marin Cilic's abiding memory of 2014 will be his U.S. Open win and all the feats achieved en route to the final. The World Tour Finals will be designated a shadowy spot in his subconscious.
The Croatian should be afforded some slack for his disappointing showing; the last week was his first taste of the season-ending tournament, of the fireworks, bright lights and all the media attention that must be accepted as a prerequisite to taking part.
He took just two games against Djokovic in the opening round-robin match before enduring a torrid two sets against Tomas Berdych.
A set against Stan Wawrinka would have eased his bruised pride, but the aftertaste of losing so emphatically in his first two matches may take the December break to shake.
Cilic's stock is marginally down given his disappointing performance in London, but as he rightly says, via BBC Sport, winning in New York will "make this season look amazing." You can't argue with that.
Stock: Down
Novak Djokovic
2 of 8
Novak Djokovic won't enjoy doing anything by default, least of all winning a tournament.
Federer's withdrawal denied the O2 crowd the showpiece final the occasion demanded, but the four previous performances from the Serbian would have satisfied the adoring spectators.
Dropping only one set on his way to the final, Djokovic was imperious. The same superlatives have been said before and they will be recycled yet again before he finishes his career.
The world No. 1 even won 6-0 twice as he progressed to the final, against Wawrinka and Nishikori.
Much is made of the inevitable succession of the top three's reign. Discussion is always simmering off court, but on it Djokovic remains the best player in the world.
His performances at the Finals have reaffirmed his superiority in the men's game and his stock rises accordingly.
Stock: Up
Andy Murray
3 of 8
Murray pushed himself to the edge in order to qualify for the Finals. In London, he had to use all the energy that remained to stop Federer shoving him off of it.
A 6-0, 6-1 defeat might constitute a serious drop, but it would be hard to level too many accusations at a man who won three tournaments in less than two months just to be in the reckoning.
In his column for BBC Sport, Murray described defeat to the world No. 2 as "another very harsh lesson."
The previous lesson might have come against Nishikori. The 27-year-old was limp against the U.S. Open finalist, who dictated with a crunching forehand and beautifully executed two-handed backhand.
A win against Milos Raonic opened the door to the semi-finals, but Federer slammed it shut.
Murray's stock has dropped an inch or two given the manner of his defeats. However, don't expect the drop to be permanent. The performances prior to London combined with a month away from competition will leave the Scot rejuvenated for 2015.
Stock: Down
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Tomas Berdych
4 of 8
Down on Monday, out on Friday. A comfortable win on Wednesday over Marin Cilic kept Tomas Berdych alive, but the ruthlessness of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon champions came to the fore to ultimately triumph.
Berdych always appeared to be fighting for second alongside Wawrinka and Cilic. His victory over a struggling Cilic in the second match, aside from ironing out any lingering frustrations at being beaten by the Croat at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, offered him a lifeline.
Wawrinka's crushing victory over Berdych on Monday had meant that the Czech would need two wins to stand a chance of progressing.
Just moments after he had beaten Cilic, Berdych used his on-court interview to ask the O2 crowd for tips on how to beat the world No. 1. He got laughs but no answers. It seems very few have any suitable responses to beating Djokovic, particularly on hard courts.
Berdych's stock hasn't been harmed significantly, despite the nature of his defeat to Wawrinka. Had he pushed Djokovic all the way, and not lost 6-2 6-2, he might have earned a rise, but for now he'll hold and consolidate.
Stock: Hold
Milos Raonic
5 of 8
Milos Raonic's palpable determination surfaced again in the two matches he played in London. He had first sets to forget against Federer and Murray, but forced both opponents to win seven games to beat him in the second set.
An unlikely semi-final place was finally dashed by an injury, leaving statisticians thankful for one less contender to account for.
The Canadian's resilience was evident, though, even if he did fail to take a point against Federer in the second set tie-break.
His season was never going to be defined by what he did in London. Even in the bubble of the World Tour Finals, Raonic came out with some credit for refusing to fold until his body told him he must.
Stock: Hold
Stan Wawrinka
6 of 8
Stan Wawrinka's ferocious semi-final against Federer was a sign of the former returning to his best.
His timing couldn't be better. The Australian Open, the major he won this season, is only two months away, with a repeat of the performance against Federer almost certain to propel Wawrinka towards the latter stages again.
Much can happen in that amount of time, not least injuries. However, strong performances and victories over Berdych and Cilic forced him to end the year enduring the best that Federer had to offer.
Davis Cup camaraderie was pardoned and, at times, it seemed friendship may be withheld indefinitely given the tension on court.
Wawrinka, though, came out with credit following a dip in form that has seen him fail to progress beyond the round of 16 in any of his last four tournaments.
His stock receives a much needed boost and, as a result, should silence dissenters until he defends his title in Melbourne.
Stock: Up
Kei Nishikori
7 of 8
When Kei Nishikori beat Djokovic to reach the U.S. Open final in September, he became the first Japanese man to make the last two in a Grand Slam.
If London can be used as an indicator, which given the field it probably should, Nishikori could be at the start of a long list of records. They might not necessarily be only specific to his native Japan either.
Nishikori possesses one of the most lethal forehands on the ATP tour, turning crushing groundstrokes into winners or encouraging an opponent's unforced error.
The world No. 5 was also the only man to take a set from Djokovic in London. Such is Nishikori's ascent that winning a Grand Slam and cracking the top order next year seem realistic targets.
He said, via atpworldtour.com: "I think I'm getting really close. I beat Roger this year and also Novak, too. It's not like I can't beat them."
Given his recent form, including the Finals, the Australian Open or another crack in New York seem the most likely destinations for that first major to come.
Stock: Up
Roger Federer
8 of 8
Having surmounted his fellow Swiss, Wawrinka, in an enthralling semi-final, the matchup that one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world yearned for was set.
Djokovic v Federer. No. 1 against No. 2. One in his prime and the other disrespectfully seen in some quarters as playing out his final encore.
Federer simply won't go down while he's still got it, though, but he was denied the opportunity to face Djokovic in London for the second time this year due to injury.
Prior to his withdrawal, Federer had made relatively light work of his opponents and none more so than Murray.
Raonic battled hard against the world No. 2 in their second set and Wawrinka missed out on the deciding third-set tie-breaker.
Yet it is no coincidence that the fine margins went Federer's way.
Christopher Clarey wrote for The New York Times prior to the finals that Federer has had "a surprising, resurgent, deeply impressive year." The events in London corroborate that school of thought and push the 33-year-old's stock up even further.
Stock: Up
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