Which Tennis Players Have Disappointed the Most so Far in 2015?
More than half of the 2015 tennis season is now in the books, and we’ve watched as Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have asserted their unprecedented dominance.
Those two hold almost unanimous control of the Grand Slam tournaments, and several of their peers have also enjoyed strong years. Even younger players like Madison Keys and Garbine Muguruza are in the midst of their own breakout campaigns and are solidifying their status as names to watch.
But not everyone has been so fortunate. A few of the biggest stars in the game have suffered through a malaise, most notably one of the sport’s all-time legends.
So which men and women have been the most disappointing? Here is a look at a few guilty parties and why they’re in a rut. With the U.S. Open around the corner, they’re running out of time to redeem themselves this season.
Juan Martin Del Potro
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This one comes with a big asterisk, but spare a thought for the injury-riddled Argentine.
When Juan Martin del Potro won the 2009 U.S. Open at age 20 and eventually climbed to No. 4 in the rankings, his future looked incredibly bright. He brought the kind of heat from the baseline that sent shivers into opponents. It was easy to see multiple Grand Slam titles in his future.
He’s unfortunately become another sad tale of an athlete unable to stay healthy.
A right wrist injury suffered at the start of the 2010 season required surgery and sidelined him for several months. When he did return the following year, it took del Potro a long time to actually get back into a groove.
In 2012, he finally put the pieces together again, reaching three major quarterfinals and claiming bronze in singles at the 2012 Olympic Games. When del Potro amassed an impressive 51-16 record (and semifinal berth at Wimbledon) in 2013, it looked like he was ready to contend for important titles.
Alas, more physical woes have struck down del Potro.
Another wrist injury—this time to his left one—forced him to go under the knife again. After cautiously sitting out most of 2014, he tried to come back this season. His body just won’t cooperate, and del Potro has undergone multiple surgeries on his left wrist.
In the last two years, del Potro has played a combined 14 matches. His ranking has cratered to No. 569. It’s now fair to wonder if he’ll ever be able to resume his career at a high level.
And that’s why del Potro’s tale is so disappointing. Immense talent is there, but he's so brittle. A tragic fate for such a humble and well-respected player.
Ana Ivanovic
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When Ana Ivanovic reached the French Open semifinals last month, she stood on the precipice of her first Grand Slam final in seven years.
She couldn't overcome the hot hitting of Lucie Safarova and fell in straight sets, a loss that preceded more heartbreak.
After dropping her opening match at a warm-up tournament in Birmingham, Ivanovic entered Wimbledon with little grass-court preparation. And it showed, as she was shown the door in the second round by a less talented foe in Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
That Roland Garros run is a red herring in a mostly poor season. Overall, the Serb is just 17-12 and has yet to win a title. Her surprisingly strong 2014 now seems like a distant memory.
On the court, the same story has plagued Ivanovic: She is easily flustered by powerful opponents. A defensive counterpuncher in the same vein as Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, Ivanovic lacks a go-to weapon.
Without a dominant serve or ground game, she's unable to win easy points. That's been her modus operandi for a very long time, and Ivanovic has made little progress erasing that stigma.
Ernests Gulbis
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Ernests Gulbis has always been a volatile enigma, but even he couldn’t prepare us for the dramatic lows he’s sunk to in 2015.
The Latvian is going through a serious case of blues on the court, stumbling to a 4-15 mark this year. About the only thing you can rely on him for these days is his sense of humor. Who else could so casually bring up vampires in an interview?
Ranked No. 13 at the end of 2014, he now sits at a lowly No. 81 thanks to a slippery slope into oblivion. He hasn’t put together a single winning streak this season, and the 26-year-old has dropped his opening match at 11 tournaments. Yikes.
When he dramatically knocked Roger Federer out at the French Open in 2014 and eventually reached the semifinals, it seemed like Gulbis had finally realized his talent. So much for that notion.
For a guy with so many physical gifts, Gulbis seems as if he's letting them slip away.
Petra Kvitova
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Petra Kvitova has had moments of brilliance lately, just not enough of them when it matters most.
To date, she remains the only player to beat Serena Williams in 2015, a victory that guided her to an important title in Madrid. When you take that week out of the equation, she's just 20-8 otherwise.
Not often do you see a 25-year-old take a sabbatical for mental fatigue. That's exactly what Kvitova did this spring, skipping Indian Wells and Miami. Despite missing those events, the Czech is still clinging to her No. 4 ranking. But just barely.
When she won her second Wimbledon title last summer, Kvitova seemed ready to emerge as a legitimate challenger to Williams. The opposite has happened. She's now failed to reach the quarterfinals at the last four Grand Slam events, and her recent third-round loss at Wimbledon served as a particular disappointment.
The powerful lefty's game has let her down in crucial situations, which may be an issue of confidence or perhaps the ramifications of taking important training time off earlier in the year. Either way, it's clear something is not right with Kvitova.
Turning things around at the U.S. Open, where she's never advanced beyond the fourth round, will be tricky. She'll need to put together some kind of momentum there or risk falling outside the top 10 this fall.
Grigor Dimitrov
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Grigor Dimitrov has quickly transformed from poster boy into whipping boy.
Regarded as one of the brightest young stars in men’s tennis, Dimitrov hasn’t come close to following up his breakthrough 2014 campaign.
Heading into this season, he was a trendy pick to at least challenge for his first Grand Slam trophy. Three titles (on different surfaces), a semifinal berth at Wimbledon and a peak ranking of No. 8 last year illustrated just how bright his future looked.
The Bulgarian has instead taken a massive step backward in 2015, stumbling to a 22-13 record and failing to reach even one final. At age 24, Dimitrov is still apparently struggling through growing pains.
His year kicked off to an ominous start with a brutal loss to Roger Federer in the Brisbane semifinals, and it hasn’t really improved. At the Australian Open, he cracked under the pressure against Andy Murray in the fourth round, which is sadly the best he’s done at a major.
A first-round exit at the French Open served as the undeniable low point for Dimitrov. He would later split with his coach Roger Rasheed after a sobering defeat early at Wimbledon; the hits keep coming for the wayward prodigy.
Blessed with incredible athleticism, a full arsenal of shots and a propensity for flair, Dimitrov is capable of playing much better than he has in recent months. But confidence is the intangible he doesn’t have enough of right now.
Going from the hunter to the hunted has undone Dimitrov. Now, he’ll have to prove his mettle in order to restore hope.
Eugenie Bouchard
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If each player walked onto the court with a song that described their game, Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" would be the perfect tune for Eugenie Bouchard.
The spunky Canadian has plummeted to No. 26 in the rankings, a far cry from the No. 5 spot she held last October. Numbers probably don't even begin to do her drought justice, but they say plenty on their own. Her record this year? A meager 8-14.
Bouchard has lost in the first round at eight tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon. Though she was battling an abdominal injury in the latter event, what's hurt her most has been poor play bred from a lack of belief.
And that's a stunning turn for a player who burst onto the scene so quickly in 2014. It wasn't long ago we saw Bouchard reach three consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, including her poignant run to the Wimbledon final. But since that crushing loss to Petra Kvitova, she's been in a constantly escalating nosedive.
Perhaps the sole bright spot to her 2015 campaign is a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open. She probably won't remember it too fondly thanks to a lopsided loss to Maria Sharapova.
Since her exit in Melbourne, she's won only four matches. That is a level of cold usually only seen in arctic climates.
At age 21, Bouchard has already reached a critical stage in her career. How she responds to this dry spell will determine if a triumphant second act is coming or if we witnessed another flash in the pan.
Rafael Nadal
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What a precipitous fall for one of the most iconic figures in the history of tennis.
The question is: How much longer will this slump last for Rafael Nadal?
A decorated champion, Nadal has dropped to No. 10 in the world—his lowest ranking in over a decade—courtesy of a paltry (by his standards) 34-12 record.
Not even his beloved clay sparked much optimism for the Spaniard, who lost his French Open crown in a quarterfinal spanking by Novak Djokovic. In total, Nadal dropped an eye-opening six matches on the dirt this year. You read that right.
The “King of Clay” vacated his throne, and he couldn’t redeem himself on the grass. At Wimbledon, Nadal fell in the second round to journeyman Dustin Brown—his fourth straight early exit from the All England Club.
Bodily woes nagged him last year, affecting his back, wrist and appendix. The latter two injuries knocked him off the tour for several months.
Nadal has since recovered physically. Mentally? Not so much.
Openly admitting to confidence issues, Nadal has looked like a shell of the player who has dominated the sport for so long. His forehand suddenly lacks its bite and his nerves seem shot, a dangerous concoction to swallow.
Watching him sink deeper into a hole in 2015 has been mystifying. When the 29-year-old will rebound is uncertain, but he’s simply too good to stay down for much longer.
He won’t have many points to defend the rest of this season, so there is an opportunity for him to rise up soon. Nadal is clearly at a crossroads, and how the next few months play out could have a profound effect on the future of his career.
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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