Bold Predictions for Tennis in 2017
Could 2017 be an even more surprising tennis year than the previous? After all, few thought that men's king Novak Djokovic would drop off a couple of levels following his French Open title, let alone see Andy Murray storm to the last day and hold on to his new No. 1 ranking.
How about new WTA queen Angelique Kerber? Is she ready for a double-major encore or will the grinding get tougher?
Our Bold Predictions 2017 preview looks at some of the possibilities with the top players and a few long shots. Who are the young rising players who could form new rivalries, and which of the veterans will bolster their legacies?
Be sure to add your own predictions and comments for 2017. The only thing for certain is there will be a fair amount of uncertainty.
Andy Murray Will Not Win a Major Title in 2017
1 of 8
Andy Murray has hit his career peak, but there will be challenging times ahead in 2017.
The super Scot will be the No. 1 seed at the Australian Open, but Melbourne belongs to rival Novak Djokovic. Once again, Murray will walk away from the year's first major empty-handed, and he could go out earlier than the final given the rising numbers of dangerous young players.
He's a good bet to win more Masters 1000 titles, but Murray could hit the kind of wall that flattened Nadal after the 2014 French Open and Djokovic at 2016 Wimbledon. He's played a lot of top-level tennis the past two years including Davis Cup marathons, the Olympics and deep runs in majors. He plays extremely hard and has the heart of a lion, but can he continue to grind away as he turns 30 in May?
In addition, Murray often needs things to break his way. He's currently the most consistent player on tour, but on a given day, there are firebrands that can play above Murray. Someone like Marin Cilic, Juan Martin Del Potro, Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios will play lights out the way Kei Nishikori did in defeating Murray at the U.S. Open.
Strange as this sounds, this writer thinks Murray has less than a 50 percent chance of winning a major in 2017. He'll still be a top-five player, but he will watch others win the major hardware. He will fall from the No. 1 ranking when he is unable to defend monster points from the second half of 2016.
Rafael Nadal Will Battle in the French Open Final but Fall to Kei Nishikori
2 of 8
If Rafael Nadal can be healthy and energized for the clay-court season, he could have a resurgence under old friend and new coach Carlos Moya. Maybe he defends Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Perhaps he nabs Madrid or Rome. Above all, he would love to win his 10th French Open title and hold up his 15th career major.
It's going to take the perfect storm, but it's more likely he runs into at least one hot player who has his day in Paris. Picking Nadal to get to the final is a reasonable guess, but this writer is going to go bolder in picking the winner, consistent with what could well be the top mini-rivalry from April to June.
Kei Nishikori is too good not to win a major title once in his career, and he could be the player to beat on clay. The Japanese star, like his coach Michael Chang, is a great retriever and fierce competitor. He strikes the ball with early angles and precision, and he might be the hungriest player on tour to meet the challenge of grinding to the French Open title.
Nishikori won the Barcelona Open in 2014-15, and he should have plenty of confidence after a strong win over Murray at the U.S. Open and feisty play at the World Tour Finals despite playing against stars better suited for that indoors surface. On Europe's red clay, he has the right blend of youthful footwork and experience to take the next step.
Nishikori over Nadal in the French Open final. It could be a knockdown thriller in five sets, but youthful legs could be the decider.
King Novak vs. Alexander the Great for the New Super Rivalry of 2017
3 of 8
The least surprising prediction of 2017 would be the return of King Novak, the superstar who dominated the first half of 2016. He knows he must work and grind to win major titles, and there's a good chance that he gets one or two of them.
Djokovic has had rivalries with Federer, Nadal, Murray, Wawrinka and anyone who has stood between him and his great career. But he has not really had a rivalry with a younger player, someone who has the talent to be the next big thing in tennis.
They've yet to play each other, but next year's super rivalry could be Djokovic vs. Alexander Zverev—the lanky German teen with all of the skills to be a No. 1 player. It could be a few years off, but Zverev's already shown signs that the future is now.
We might have Djokovic furiously holding on to the last months of his great prime years while Zverev storms into the top five.
If we get a few Djokovic vs. Zverev matches deep in tournaments, watch out. It will be a wonderful contrast from one generation to the next. Djokovic the more defensive grinder against Zverev's serve and big strokes. They've got wonderful footwork and complete skills but contrasting styles and ages.
Maybe it would be time to buckle up for Melbourne with King Novak vs. Alexander the Great in a blockbuster quarterfinal or semifinal. It could happen sooner than later.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Borna Coric Will Become a Top-10 Player in 2017
4 of 8
He struggled with a 22-24 record in 2016 and was not able to build on the No. 33 ranking he achieved in 2015, but Croatia's young star Borna Coric will be primed for a big year in 2017.
Coric was a Davis Cup hero, defeating Belgium and the U.S. in the fifth and deciding rubbers. He was a finalist at Chennai and Marrakech, and he defeated Nadal on his way to the quarterfinals in Cincinnati.
But Coric was also inconsistent with his serving and shot depth. At his best, he held the baseline well and used both corners against opponents. When he was too patient or content to trade groundstrokes, it didn't go as well.
Ultimately, his season was cut short by a knee injury and his ranking fell to No. 48. It was also a blow to Croatia who might have been able to win the Davis Cup if Coric had been the man to oppose Argentina's Federico Delbonis in the fifth rubber.
There is a good chance that Coric takes the next leap for a huge 2017. His all-court strokes are tremendous, and he will usually have a big advantage with his excellent backhand. He has competitive presence and will work hard to rise above the grinding demands of the tour.
Now all Coric needs are more signature wins but more importantly routine wins in the opening rounds to boost his experience. The belief is already there the way he has defeated Nadal (twice) and Murray. He could compete for level 500 titles and perhaps a Masters 1000 championship or a major semifinal. By the end of the year, he could be a top-10 player with a chance at the World Tour Finals.
Roger Federer Will Fall to Nick Kyrgios in Transcendent Wimbledon Final
5 of 8
OK, Federer fans, it will be exciting enough to have the Swiss maestro back on tour, but it's reasonable to expect at least a few highlights. While it would be a fairy tale to expect Federer to compete for the Australian Open title, he will have plenty of time to peak for early summer, and that means Wimbledon.
As long as Federer's healthy, there are only a handful of players who can compete with him on grass. Nobody has a better skill set for Wimbledon, notwithstanding his aging body. His service game, net play and groundstrokes are all good enough to win there five years after his 17th major win.
That's assuming that he can come back and play along the lines of 2014-15.
But this writer is picking Nick Kyrgios to get his big major breakthrough at Wimbledon. The months ahead for the Aussie star will probably be rocky as usual, but he's the kind of player who can suddenly go on an awesome streak behind overpowering serves, freakish athleticism and a crazy kind of competitiveness that's self-destructive but unafraid.
Kyrgios over Federer in a major final would be a huge boost for the future of tennis. And while Federer would be the overwhelming sentimental favorite, Kyrgios will fulfil some of that potential that has been simmering in the dark.
One of the 'Alternative Big 3' Will Get a Major Title in 2017.
6 of 8
One of the second-tier superstars will get a major title. The ATP tour is more open than at any time since 2003 before young Federer turned tennis on its head.
Juan Martin del Potro has already made a fabulous comeback from wrist surgery, including wins over Wawrinka, Djokovic, Nadal and Murray. He's been dubbed a major contender in 2017 with his powerful groundstrokes and motivation.
Or maybe Milos Raonic can stay healthy and get his breakthrough championship. The missile-serving Canadian no longer has coach Carlos Moya who helped him ascend to No. 3 in the rankings, but a break here or there and finally a win over Murray could get Raonic a major at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.
Also riding on the merry-go-round of dangerous veteran contenders, Marin Cilic proved at the 2014 U.S. Open that he can finish. All he needs is to recapture that closer's mentality that saw him lose five-setters to Federer, Jack Sock and Del Potro in the second half of the year. He's got nothing to lose in 2017.
Who is more likely? Raonic has the most youth, Del Potro the best past resume and Cilic the capacity to catch lightning in a bottle. All of them will come close to winning a major in 2017, and one of them will successfully hold up a surprising grand slam title.
Angelique Kerber Will Not Win a Major Title in 2017
7 of 8
Angelique Kerber was the biggest surprise in 2016, but the new No. 1 in the WTA will crash in 2017.
The German star won the 2016 Australian and U.S. Opens through defensive retrieving, selective offensive aggressiveness and mental toughness. She racked up the top spot by grinding through 81 matches, which will feel more difficult after so much emotional energy.
Other players will fight harder against Kerber who has become both a target and a symbol of possibility for the rest of the WTA that had routinely been drubbed by Serena Williams.
Unless Kerber defends her Australian Open title, she could drop from No. 1 in early February and perhaps see a resurgent Serena take over once again. Other younger stars are also rising and Kerber will find it too difficult to fend them all off.
She will remain a tough competitor and make it back to Singapore, but Kerber will not regain her No. 1 ranking after losing it in February. And she will not win a grand slam title in 2017.
Our 4 WTA Picks to Win Each of the Grand Slam Titles
8 of 8
Let's see if we can pick the Grand Slam winners in the WTA for 2017. Preseason predictions are hardly contextual, and we are sure to see new ebbs and flows, but for now this writer will pick the following:
- Australian Open: Serena Williams
- French Open: Simona Halep
- Wimbledon: Karolina Pliskova
- U.S. Open: Madison Keys
A few thoughts on this. Serena will be healthy and motivated early, and she will pace herself for the majors. She's a threat, if not the favorite, anywhere at any time. But she's had more nagging injuries and the aura of invincibility is not the same. Getting the Australian Open and the No. 1 ranking will be a nice return, but the long summer could be taxing.
Halep is long overdue. She was runnerup at the 2014 French Open, but she's also not going to deal with an in-form Maria Sharapova in June. If Serena is off and Garbine Muguruza still maddeningly inconsistent, Halep can finally swoop in under the radar and claim her first career major.
Pliskova's giant serve makes her an instant contender on grass. She's also grown tremendously in big matches and is capable of flattening the best players on tour. She's ready for the big Wimbledon stage.
Keys is ascending as a top-10 player and is our biggest surprise pick of the year. A lot more growth is needed until September, but she will develop her sense for utilizing power and savvy and blossom in front of her home country's crowd in New York.
Of course, as the year unfolds, these picks will all receive an entirely new context as each tournament approaches. No, not hedging at all.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
