The Most Surprising Tennis Stories of 2015

Every year there are plenty of surprises on the ATP and WTA tours—even in 2015, when the dominance of Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams was hard to crack.

Some players who were expected to challenge for the top disappointed during the year; perhaps none bigger than Eugenie Bouchard.

There were plenty of ATP fallbacks, as well. Find out who did not take the next steps to becoming contenders in the upcoming slides.

Best of all, there were unexpected triumphs, which made up four of our top-five most surprising stories of 2015. Superstars and underdogs all had their moments in the sun.

8. Novak Djokovic's Historic 2015 Season

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Although tennis fans can’t be too surprised that Novak Djokovic won three majors and compiled one of the greatest years in tennis history, it’s just not that easy.

The World No. 1 crushed the ATP in nearly every big match, and his resilience was the difference. We expected him to be the best, and for the most part, he exceeded our imaginations.

There were plenty of times Djokovic was challenged, but he was able to pull away when the difference could have been a few points:

• He outlasted Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray at the Australian Open by boosting his energy and quality.
• He regrouped against Murray in the French Open after it seemed the match could slip away.
• He won finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open against a hot Roger Federer and very partisan crowds. The Wimbledon victory was particularly courageous after the disappointment of losing his dream title at Roland Garros.

Djokovic finished his post-U.S. Open schedule stronger than ever, cashing in on four huge titles and suffering only one loss, which came in a round-robin match to Federer in the group stage of the ATP World Tour Finals.

He created his success, but tight matches went his way when he turned up the heat.

King Novak is the best, but it would be even more surprising if he had an encore in 2016. There is a physical and emotional drain after an epic year. Federer’s 2007 season is the only time in the Open era that someone had back-to-back years with three majors in each.

7. Young ATP Players Fail to Build on Their 2014 Success

TORU YAMANAKA/Getty Images

In 2014, there were four different major winners in the ATP. Although Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were still going strong, there was progress from younger players who were in their mid-20s:

• Ernests Gulbis defeated Federer on his way to the French Open semifinals.
• Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic were Wimbledon semifinalists.
• Kei Nishikori upset Novak Djokovic to reach the U.S. Open final.
• Marin Cilic crushed Federer in their U.S. Open semifinal and won the title against Nishikori.

Sprinkle in a few younger potential phenoms like athletically powerful Nick Kyrgios, hard-hitting Dominic Thiem and steady Borna Coric, and it seemed like one or two of these players could become a major winner in 2015.

Not even close.

Tennis experts assessed Dimitrov’s chances to be a breakout star, but he was a bust in 2015. He eventually dropped coach Roger Rasheed and parted ways with girlfriend Maria Sharapova. After all of this in July, his play still did not improve.

Nishikori was the only one of this group to maintain relative consistency, but he lost big matches—like his poor play against Stan Wawrinka at Australia and losses to Andy Murray at Madrid and Canada. Worst of all, he was ousted in the first round of the U.S. Open.

The other players listed above more or less crashed. Ernests Gulbis could hardly get a win in the first half of the year, Milos Raonic battled injuries and Cilic could not harness his power for another magical major title. Cilic did fight back to the U.S. Open semifinals, but he was promptly pummeled by Djokovic.

All in all, it was a very disappointing show by the “stars in waiting.” Right now, they look further from success than they did a year ago.

6. Eugenie Bouchard Hits Rock Bottom

Al Bello/Getty Images

After a breakout 2014 in the WTA, Eugenie Bouchard had become one of the most popular and exciting young stars. Her credentials included semifinals at the Australian and French Opens and the Wimbledon runner-up. She achieved her career-best No. 5 ranking and looked for all the world to be a superstar in the making.

Off court, Bouchard drew in plenty of attention—from her army of fans to her rising endorsements—so expectations were very high as she entered 2015 at age 20.

Her best effort was reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, losing to Maria Sharapova. She may as well have stayed Down Under because her entire year went south.

Her disastrous spring featured a six-match losing streak before later first-round losses at the French Open and Wimbledon. By the end of 2015, her ranking crashed down to No. 49.

There’s plenty of time for Bouchard to work her way back into being a legitimate star, but it’s also clear that she is not the next Maria Sharapova.

She will need to find her own way, but she could do no better than to learn from the hard work and resolve that Sharapova demonstrated at Singapore.

5. Stan Wawrinka Wins the French Open

Julian Finney/Getty Images

For only the second time since Gaston Gaudio held up the 2004 French Open, somebody other than Rafael Nadal won the French Open. (The other French Open champion was Roger Federer in 2009.)

The baton was supposed to be passed off to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, especially after his scorching tennis during the first half of the year. All the way to the French Open final, it seemed inconceivable that someone else could win the title.

Stan Wawrinka proved to be more than a surprise. The rugged competitor swept Federer in the quarterfinals, outdueled home-favorite  Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals and found himself down one set in the final.

Then he turned on his best tennis, cracking shots that blunted Djokovic’s defense. He toughened up when it mattered most and swept the final three sets.

It was not a total shock, given that Wawrinka had learned to execute his power and tenacity against Djokovic, something that no other player on tour could accomplish.

To be clear, this was not a case of Djokovic cracking. Wawrinka’s power and aggression was greater than Djokovic’s.

It was the only major match Djokovic lost all year, our top match of 2015 and the greatest match of Wawrinka’s career. Two career majors are now in the vault for Wawrinka in a legacy-defining year.

4. Rafael Nadal a Nonfactor at Majors During a Healthy Year of Tennis

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The signs were visible in 2014. Rafael Nadal’s play was slipping. His springtime results were more of a struggle, and it turned it out that his French Open victory would be his last great title.

By July, Novak Djokovic replaced him for the No. 1 ranking. Then Nadal battled injuries and appendicitis.

But Nadal has a history of coming back strong for the first half of each year. This time it didn’t happen, and 2015 spiraled downward as he lost early and often against players he used to dominate, like Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic and Fabio Fognini. He was shut out from European clay-court titles leading through the French Open.

The most surprising thing was Nadal was not injured, or even just rusty, but that many elements to his game were waning. His footwork lagged, his forehand was erratic and his serve was punchless. It was mystifying to hear him admit his lack of confidence.

Although Nadal rallied with a stronger effort in October and November upon faster courts, to move his ranking up from a season low of No. 10 to No. 5, he still has questions to answer if he is to once again become a major contender.

3. Flavia Pennetta Wins the US Open

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Heading into the U.S. Open, everyone discussed the likely possibility that Serena Willliams would win all four majors in 2015 for a calendar Grand Slam. There were a few other contenders that figured to challenge her, including Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza and Belinda Bencic.

No. 26-seed Flavia Pennetta was not on the radar, much less a viable option to win her first major title at age 33.

Although Pennetta had played some of her best career tennis the past two years, it was astonishing that she got through Kvitova and Halep in the quarterfinals and semifinals before defeating compatriot Roberta Vinci for the title.

Perhaps even more shocking, Pennetta announced her retirement in her on-court acceptance speech. Like recent major champions Marion Bartoli and Li Na, the Italian bolted soon after a career highlight.

She would reach her career-best ranking of No. 6 and lose her final match to Maria Sharapova at Singapore’s WTA round-robin pool.

2. Great Britain Wins the Davis Cup

PHILIPPE HUGUEN/Getty Images

There was a scene that nobody could have imagined five years ago. It was late November on the red clay at Ghent, Belgium, where the hosts had put up a valiant fight in the Davis Cup final. Team Great Britain lifted up teammate and hero Andy Murray moments after he won the rubber’s match point.

Few outside of the UK could have envisioned this early in 2015, let alone when Team Great Britain was playing Turkey in 2010 to avoid dropping into Europe/Africa Zone Group III, the lowest tier of the competition.

How did Great Britain rise to this championship with so many other countries possessing superior depth and talent?

They may not be Spain, Serbia, Switzerland or the Czech Republic, but Team Great Britain thrived with Murray winning all eight of his singles matches and sharing in all three of his doubles wins with older brother Jamie.

That, and one key first-tie win by James Ward against America's John Isner back in March. Add water, shake and “presto,” there’s your miracle team led by captain Leon Smith.

Seeing Roger Federer and Andy Murray win this prize with their countrymen in 2014 and 2015, respectively, has put Davis Cup into perhaps the biggest spotlight of the past decade or two.

1. Roberta Vinci Upsets Serena Williams in the US Open Semifinals

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Everyone had all but handed Serena Williams the U.S. Open trophy after her strongest competitors were eliminated by the semifinals. All that remained was for Serena to finish off a pair of veteran Italians for her calendar Grand Slam.

Then unseeded Roberta Vinci, more renowned for doubles than singles, outfoxed Serena with an impressive variety of low-slice, good net-finishes and steadier nerves for the 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 shocker, possibly the biggest upset of all time, according to data crunched by Five Thirty Eight Sports.

It was a bonus to hear Vinci’s refreshing honesty and candidness in the on-court interview, per ESPN: “It's amazing, like a dream. I'm in the final. I beat Serena. For me, it's an amazing moment, incredible, yes. For the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam, today's my day. Sorry, guys."

Vinci went on to lose to countrywoman Flavia Pennetta in the all-Italian final. Serena pulled out of her remaining commitments for 2015, clearly disappointed in her lost opportunity to match Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam in 1988.

It’s still an unbelievable story, and against all rational odds.