Holiday Wish List for Tennis' Top Stars in 2016
As the tennis season takes a break, the holidays are a great time for superstars Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Serena Williams to set their sights on 2016. The top stars are motivated to win championships, but every player has different keys in order to compete at the highest level.
Our special "holiday wish list" will feature one gift or need for each of the top five stars in the ATP and WTA tours. It cannot be an all-encompassing fulfillment like “win majors,” but rather it must be a specific area of improvement or assistance that could help produce the desired outcomes.
Just what does Federer need under his tennis tree? How can Simona Halep climb to the top of the world?
All of this unwrapped in the following slides.
Stocking Stuffers in the WTA
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Before we earmark gifts for the biggest superstars, here are a few stocking stuffers for some of the WTA stars looking to move up in 2016. We will give them one line apiece.
Eugenie Bouchard: She unraveled in 2015, perhaps overwhelmed with the hype and pressure, so she must count on renewed focus and work ethic.
Lucie Safarova: Play like it’s clay from Melbourne through Roland Garros.
Flavia Pennetta: Much-deserved retirement rest and happiness with hopefully a strong return to the Olympics.
Venus Williams: Is there enough youth left in her game at the age of 35 to play as a top-five player the whole year?
Petra Kvitova: Stay in the lines with that awesome power.
Stocking Stuffers in the ATP
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The ATP has plenty of stars who would love to soar in 2016, so we will give one line to five very interesting candidates.
Nick Kyrgios: Maturity and tact on the tennis court could go a long way in helping him burst through his inconsistent talent.
Grigor Dimitrov: Fearless offense inside the baseline begins with shoring up a beautiful but weak backhand. (You’ve gifted your opponents too many short balls.)
Milos Raonic: How to avoid the careers that have made Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also-rans in the majors: more mental toughness when big matches are tight.
Marin Cilic: Dictate your power and offense unless you want Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer making your defense look like a yo-yo.
Kei Nishikori: Greater physicality and no injuries.
Agnieszka Radwanska
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For most of 2015, Agnieszka Radwanska’s career looked to be fading. She had fallen out of the top 10 after a loss in Madrid, and she was dumped in the first round of the French Open. Because she is a player who relies on precision and guile, it seemed that she was at the mercy of more powerful players, and it was reasonable to wonder if she could win huge titles.
Since, Radwanska turned things around by marching into the Wimbledon semifinals and emerging as the surprise winner of the WTA finals in Singapore. She’s back at No. 5.
What does Radwanska need for 2016?
She needs belief in her game. The Polish star must continue to play with her touch shots and defensive acumen. Trust and belief in herself will be needed to throw off the very top stars and win a major.
As long as Radwanska does not lose heart and try to throw away her gifts to play another way, she will keep knocking on the major-title door until it finally swings wide open.
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Rafael Nadal
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We cannot give Rafael Nadal younger legs or immunity from injury, but the 29-year-old Spanish superstar can still win at least one more major title.
What’s his biggest key? Does he need a bigger serve? Renewed confidence? Does he need rival Novak Djokovic to take a vacation for about three years?
For all of the suggestions and possible improvements, it is all centered upon Nadal’s big forehand. The height of his career success came when he could control the baseline and unleash his heavy topspin to chew up opponents’ backhands.
Tennis is changing, and with more aggressive players and mindsets, Nadal will most need his hammering forehand. His forehand will need to spin wildly and pound away at the other stars like a cyclone. At other times, his forehand needs to be flatter and more decisive when it's time to hit through the court.
If Nadal’s ideal forehand is a wish come true, he will be back for more big trophies—and possibly major No. 15 and French Open title No. 10.
Maria Sharapova
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Maria Sharapova’s worldwide fame as an athlete overshadows one of the most important details about her play on court. She is the toughest player in women’s tennis. (Besides, who else would evict big star and personality Jimmy Connors one match into their coaching agreement. She knew what she did not want.)
Sharapova has succeeded despite numerous injuries and setbacks that could be a long-running television series. She only knows how to play hard and harder, so she often pays a heavy physical toll.
In 2015, Sharapova missed almost the entire second half, returning just before the clock struck midnight to power her way to three wins in group play at the WTA finals in Singapore. She craves competition and backs down from nobody, even though she has lost time and again to Serena Williams.
Can we get a full 2016 with Sharapova? How about a year with no serving shoulder problems, leg injuries or forearm pain? This is not just a wish for Sharapova and her career, but for bringing more strength and interest to the WTA tour.
Stan Wawrinka
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Although Stan Wawrinka won the most important title not claimed by Novak Djokovic, his master performance at the French Open sent him into an empty depression, as he explained to Simon Briggs of the Telegraph.
Can he again play that brand of powerful and near-perfect tennis in another major final? It’s a daunting task that he knows will not be easy to repeat, even though he is a two-time major winner (including the 2014 Australian Open title).
Already in his 30s, Wawrinka now has the respect of a star and a target on his back when he plays Djokovic, Roger Federer and the rest of the tour. So what does he need to continue on and get his share of a few more big titles?
The Swiss No. 2 most needs that hunger that drove him to the top five. Go back two years ago after he learned he could compete with Djokovic and Nadal. Wawrinka knew that he could set his sights on championship goals, and he seemed to relish the climb before him.
Will this change in 2016? If Wawrinka is content with his past two years, this will be the end of his awesome moments as a major contender. What he needs most is the hunger of a challenger. He must recapture the mindset of rising to the very top once again.
Garbine Muguruza
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She’s the hottest rising star in the WTA, but Spanish superstar Garbine Muguruza needs to understand that life as the world No. 3 can be swept aside in a hurry if she does not keep building on her success. Look no further than the 2015 collapse of Eugenie Bouchard.
Muguruza made waves at the 2014 French Open by crushing Serena Williams, 6-2, 6-2. This past year, she hit her stride, streaking to the Wimbledon final (loss to Serena) as part of her rise in the rankings as a bona fide contender.
Now she must stay the course with the impending storm of being a 22-year-old with sudden fame and expectations. Many other talented players have failed more often than succeeded.
If her coaches and team could have this wish, it would be for her to focus on the task at hand and build through the details and processes of becoming a champion. She has a golden combination of quickness, power and shotmaking. If she stays grounded, the rest will take care of itself.
Roger Federer
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What else can Roger Federer do to improve his game and chances at major title No. 18? He’s backed up his 34-year-old baseline skills and serving with an attacking game that would pulverize the old-school champions like John McEnroe and recently departed coach Stefan Edberg.
He’s even ramped up his dominance of Andy Murray, beat back Stan Wawrinka in recent matches and pushed aside Rafael Nadal at the Basel Swiss Indoors.
But what about Djokovic?
It’s easy to say that Federer must defeat his Serbian nemesis in a major final; after all, Federer has lost seven of nine Grand Slam meetings since the 2010 U.S. Open. Defeating Djokovic is Federer’s biggest key.
“Novak was really tough to beat, especially on the big occasions,” Federer recently said per Ali Khaled of the National. “He’s got sky-high confidence, and we hope that will come down again sooner than later, but we’re working hard to try to catch him.”
Maybe Federer’s master plan is to let Djokovic burn himself out in the spring with another exhausting pursuit of his elusive French Open trophy.
Meanwhile, the Swiss will forego all but the French Open during the grueling European clay-court stretch, hoping that his fresh legs and spectacular play will tip the scales in his favor come Wimbledon 2016.
Barring that wish, Federer can hope he makes it to the Wimbledon final against anyone other than Djokovic.
Simona Halep
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Few stars play every point as hard as world No. 2 Simona Halep. She uses her legs, grinds and outlasts nearly every opponent in the WTA. There are, however, several small weaknesses that have kept her from capturing the truly big major prizes.
Can she hit with enough power? Is she too undersized to consistently deal with the high hops on clay? How do we explain some of her inexplicable early-rounds exits in 2015? Will younger players like Garbine Muguruza and Belinda Bencic pass her by sooner rather than later?
What does Halep need to win her first major championship?
She needs more aggressive shotmaking, not necessarily for more winners, but to force mistakes from her opponents and take away their time.
She can hit more balls on the rise, use offensive angles and push the top stars. She did this in the Cincinnati Masters final against Serena Williams, pushing the great American with a more confident brand of tennis.
Andy Murray
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It was one of Andy Murray’s greatest years as he rolled to the Australian Open final and the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He won two clay-court tournaments including Madrid, and he outlasted Novak Djokovic for the Rogers Cup in Canada. He created an epic Davis Cup legend for Great Britain’s spectacular championship.
But there has to be a tinge of disappointment for Murray, despite his year-end world No. 2 ranking for the first time ever.
Like Roger Federer, Murray has a big obstacle in the way named Djokovic. While it starts with details such as improving his second serve, Murray is going to have to raise his level of composure in huge matches.
His meltdown in the Australian Open was merely one example of how he needs to seize the pressure points rather than scowl and yell when things go wrong.
Biggest gift for 2016? Composure against his biggest rivals.
Serena Williams
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After posting one of her two greatest seasons, winning the first three majors of 2015, Serena Williams might forever be haunted by one semifinal loss to unseeded Roberta Vinci at the U.S. Open.
She did not play the remainder of her WTA schedule, and some of the joy of playing tennis had seemed sapped away with media questions and expectations of her chase for the Grand Slam.
Serena’s biggest battle just might be summoning up the will to go through her day-to-day routines at practice and matches that she should win inside an hour. We know she will be there for the big matches. What will be the key for her to relaunch another epic season?
Enthusiasm. How can she continue to find the joy and energy to put her talents with more major titles?
There is still the pursuit of Steffi Graf. She needs one major title to tie the great German, and two to pass her by.
More important, Serena has a lot of pride. She wants to redeem any loss, even if she set a standard that is far beyond her competitors in the WTA.
"It's fun," Serena said, per the International Business Times after returning to match play in the exhibitionist International Premier Tennis League. “That's why I'm here again, because I had a lot of fun last year and I definitely want you to continue it.
"I was forced out early from my year, and it's a good opportunity for me to get some more tennis in and get ready. So it felt really good."
It’s the kind of comment that shows her wisdom of being a champion. She’s already well on her way to setting up another great season.
Novak Djokovic
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You are either not a tennis fan or you’ve been hibernating underneath a rock for the past year if you need to be reminded that Novak Djokovic turned in one of the most dominating seasons in history.
After demoralizing his rivals and winning just about everything except his coveted French Open title, what will be the key for the great Serbian’s continued dominance in 2016?
Improvement.
What? Are we suggesting that King Novak needs to improve? Absolutely. In sports, even the very greatest players are either climbing up or tumbling down. There is no status quo.
Much of Djokovic’s great success this year came through the work with his service game, better efficiency at the net and some added vigor from coach Boris Becker.
If Djokovic accepts that he will walk through his competitors, he will slip into something more like 2012-14, an all major-winning season but not epic. The tour will keep changing, and competitors will never stop coming. Improve or fall back.
The Serbian also understands what this means, according to his closing comments in David Cox's interview with the player for the Independent:
"Hopefully, I’ll be able to sustain the same level of commitment, concentration, willpower and love for the game which has taken me this far.
I just try to approach every single day with a particular purpose, and to aim for perfection. That’s my mindset.
Of course, complete perfection is impossible, but if you aim that far, you might just reach excellence.
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