Ones to Watch in 2018

Women's game:

The Recent World Number Ones: Simona Halep/Garbiñe Muguruza/Karolina Pliskova – Since Angelique Kerber’s fall from the summit of ladies’ tennis these three women have all held the top spot. Halep for the longest, and for the year’s end, but the others both deservedly finding themselves fleetingly at the pinnacle. Looking to 2018, Muguruza, as a double grand slam winner, would seem to be the likeliest contender for getting back to the top and staying there for a while. Both Halep and Karolina Pliskova will need to add a slam to their impressive achievements so far to really have a chance of getting back and then hanging on to the number one spot. All three players have great talent and potential, but only Muguruza has so far fulfilled it on the greatest stage.

The Williams sisters – Venus and Serena need no introduction. They have been the face of women’s tennis for two decades now. Serena’s absence to have a baby has only made her comeback even more exciting. Let’s face it, Serena can do anything that she puts her mind to, and returning and claiming more slams somehow seems inevitable. Venus, at the grand old age of 37 had her best season in a decade in 2017 and although she didn’t land any major titles, coming close on three separate occasions, she proved herself to be one of the best, a big match player, and more than capable despite her age. She also showed no signs of any decline in desire or ability. It’s doubtless these two women will have a major part to play in 2018.

Jelena Ostapenko - Ostapenko’s first ever title was the Roland Garros crown. It was as unexpected as it was refreshing for the women’s game. A breath of fresh air, she only turned 20 years of age days before capturing the title in a shock win over Simona Halep, who was seemingly the next heiress to the French Open throne. Ostapenko added a second title in 2017 – the Seoul event. Her year-end ranking of 7 proved she didn’t fluke the French. She is more and more of an obstacle, a contender and a winning machine. 2018 could be massive for her. In full flight her game is a destructive and accurate powerfest that will see any opponent left flapping, however, she also needs to become a little more consistent. Her potential is immense, for this coming season and beyond. 

Caroline Garcia – Garcia has gone from strength to strength since her renewed focus on the singles game. She ended the year rooted inside the top ten for the first time in her career. She played some amazing tennis and won titles in Wuhan and Beijing. At 24, she is young but experienced, her doubles game and success providing her with great net play in addition to her brilliant serve and baseline game. She’s certainly a talent, coming good at last, and will provide a threat at some big tournaments. Her confidence is high, too, meaning most players won’t want to face her early in any draw. 2018 could be a very big year for her, indeed. Let's see if she manages to push on from where she has managed to reach thus far in what looks like an incredibly competitive season ahead.

Julia Goerges – Goerges is proving something of a late bloomer. She ended 2017 with a winning streak that stretched across two titles – the Kremlin Cup in Moscow and the WTA Elite Trophy. The Kremlin Cup was her first title in six years. She played five finals in 2017 in total. Her confidence is at an all time high, her game is explosive behind her powerful serve and she looks the player she had always hinted she could be. She ended the year at a career high 14 in the WTA rankings. At 29, in this form, she won’t want to mess around, and having passed Kerber in her slide in the rankings she won’t want to give up the highest ranked German position easily. If she maintains her season end form she could go deep in the big tournaments. That would be good to watch!

Ashleigh Barty – Barty refocussed on tennis and returned to the sport she had temporarily left to play women’s cricket. Her return was more impressive for her time away as she slowly worked her way up the rankings, becoming a dangerous threat to the top players at events, and ending up with a much-deserved year end ranking of 17. She is a real battler and warrior, great to see in action, and at only 21 is another of the young players who is surely expected for great things. She could easily leave her mark on 2018 and cement a top 10 spot by the end of the season.

Angelique Kerber – Kerber will feel that she has unfinished business at the top of the game. Her form and two grand slam titles of 2016 seem a long time ago now. Her slide in the rankings is almost legendary. She didn’t even finish 2017 in the top 20 (a year after ending 2016 at number one). She has taken on the brilliant coach Wim Fissette, who has many proven successes. That feels like a sign of intent, and if she does get her head right, find the game she managed to play in 2016, and start getting some renewed confidence, she could easily find her way back up the rankings again. It’d be good to see her in form again.

Daria Kasatkina – Kasatkina won her first senior title a month before Ostapenko won the French Open, beating her fellow youngster in the final of the Charleston event last spring. Also 20 years of age, she has oodles of talent and ended 2017 at a career high of 24 in the WTA rankings. She shows good promise, has a big game and looks like another of the young tickets to future success. Expect her to push on, climb the rankings and add further titles over the next season or so. She is one of the young players whose name should be remembered. She will refresh your memory soon though, no doubt.

Anett Kontaveit – Anett Kontaveit is another young player, hailing from Estonia, who shows great promise and over 2017 worked her way up the rankings, ending the year at 34. She won her first title at the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up in Den Bosch in the Netherlands this last season. That signalled an arrival of sorts, that she will hopefully build on over the coming year or so.

Twenty-two years of age in late December, 2018 could be a big year for her, to see if she can push on as some of the other even younger players around her are doing. She has a warm on-court demeanour and at her best has a lot of potential. Hopefully, she will fulfil it with further titles soon. She will be looking at a top 20 spot or even higher by the end of this coming year.

Ana Konjuh – Croatia's Ana Konjuh is the youngest player in either top 50 (WTA and ATP), in fact, she is the only teenager in either (she will turn 20 before the end of 2017). After a bright junior career in which she won majors and reached number one she will hold lofty ambitions of achieving similar heights on the WTA tour. 

She won her first title in the Nottingham Open (a Wimbledon warm-up) in 2015. She has had some good results, but also seen some defeats from good positions, such as the US Open first round of 2017. She has bags of potential, and is extremely young, but with focus, the right team and hard work she is capable of big things. Let’s see what 2018 holds for her. 

Belinda Bencic – Switzerland’s Bencic was brilliant a few years ago as an 18-year old entering the WTA top 10 and looking like the future of women’s tennis. A cruel hand was then delivered to her in the shape of two serious injuries, leaving her outside the world’s top 300 in the first half of 2017. That was before she carved her way through multiple tournament draws and found her way back into the year-end top 100 and rising fast. She’s surely looking at a return to her rightful place near the top of the game, still only 20 years of age, and with time on her side and the undeniable talent let’s hope she keeps further career-altering injury away. She’s one of a few players with a very exciting future if it all goes to plan. Along with Ostapenko, her name will be heard more and more.

Men's game:

The Big Four - proven at the top level time and again. Andy Murray deserves to be in this group, in case anyone might question that, as a double Olympic singles gold medal champion, a year end number one, an ATP finals winner, not to mention having a US Open title and two at Wimbledon, and a very impressive total of 14 Masters titles. The others have all won the career grand slam and need no introduction. For Novak Djokovic and Murray, it very much depends what form they find upon returning from substantial layoffs due to injury, and if they can keep further niggles at bay. As for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, well, nobody can set them any challenges that they won't have already set themselves for the year ahead, as they continue to delay the ageing process and find ways to add slams to their unreachable current totals. 

Grigor Dimitrov - He started and ended 2017 in wonderful form. He proved his talent, which some may have doubted as he failed to fulfil his early potential. It'll be interesting to see if he can step further into the limelight by claiming a maiden grand slam or if he has peaked with his first Masters title and ATP finals winner’s trophy. He seems motivated and with the right coach in his corner - in Dani Valverdu - and a focus he previously lacked, he is more than capable of having a golden year. Needs a little more consistency. 

Alex Zverev - with a first couple of Masters’ titles under his belt and a career high ranking of three in the world the younger of the Zverev siblings has proven his worth. While he hasn't done it in a slam yet, he was a valuable figure in the Laver Cup and the year-end ATP finals, after an impressive year in which he cemented his abilities by becoming part of the men's elite. He, as everyone else, expects slams of himself, and soon. He has the game and may just require a little patience, as he's overly angry at times. Don't forget, he's not even 21 yet. 

David Goffin – Goffin had his best season yet in 2017, with the second most wins of the season behind only Nadal. Take into consideration that Goffin missed approximately two months of the season, after a fall at Roland Garros, and it’s even more of an achievement. Goffin is a hardworking, elegant and talented player. This was proven over the course of the season, but none more than at the year-end ATP Finals in which he came ever so close to toppling the in-form Dimitrov. If Goffin can push on from his brilliant season, take the confidence gained from wins over Nadal and Federer at the ATP Finals and continue to develop he may indeed crack the top 5 before a certain Djokovic and a certain Murray can get back up there again. A brilliant player with whom there is little fanfare and often very good tennis.

Juan Martin Del Potro - another amazing player, who had a brilliant 2017, fit for the most part, who if he can stay healthy will surely have more to say in 2018. He's proven many times over the past decade that if he gets into his rather substantial stride he can defeat anyone put in front of him. He's a big player, with a huge game. He spent 2017 climbing the rankings and looks set for a fresh assault at the top of men's tennis. Given his past record with injury who could begrudge him another pop. 

Nick Kyrgios - Nobody has ever doubted Krygios' ability. When he's flying, his tennis is both sublime and devastating. He is capable of much. However, he's the Jekyll and Hyde of tennis and for every brilliant performance there seems to be a problematic one or an issue that is brought to light over his behaviour or something he has said. The young Australian under the right stewardship with clearly set goals and motivation could be a very hard opponent to beat. Let's hope he can channel his enormous ability soon and show everyone just what he has to offer the world of tennis. He is young enough to still blossom. He needs a coach though, and that should be his top priority for now. Without someone who understands and can provide him the guidance he so clearly lacks, it might be a while before we see the best of him, at least consistently.

Diego Schwartzman - In a sport in which height is such a valuable commodity Diego Schwartzman goes somewhat against the grain. The diminutive fellow has a passion and desire and work ethic second to none. He has carved a place for himself with some big wins, a surge up the rankings and a similar refusal to be beaten to that of the terrier-like David Ferrer. Make no mistake, Schwartzman is capable of big things, and 2018 could see him push even further up the rankings. He is brilliant to watch and with a solid all-round game is thoroughly deserved of any success that might come his way.

Andrey Rublev – Rublev more than announced his arrival in 2017. The young Russian was a part of the NextGen Finals – losing 3-1 in the final to the magnificent Hyeon Chung – as well as a slam quarter finalist for the first time (at the 2017 US Open). His extreme frustration at certain points when losing might need to be tempered and better controlled. If he could harness that frustration and energy in the right way he could go very, very far. One of a small number of players who could genuinely challenge Alex Zverev Jr over the coming decade or more.

Denis Shapovalov – At 18, Shapovalov is the youngest player on the list. He announced himself and his explosive game at the US Open where he reached the 4^th round. He had also beaten Nadal only weeks before that. He plays some truly firecracker tennis and unlike most teenage players nowadays doesn’t seem daunted or overwhelmed by the more experienced big guns of tennis. His attitude is bright and positive, and he is another who truly feels like the future of tennis. In fact, 2018 could already see him do very big things. Another style of tennis that is very easy on the eye. Watch him when you get the chance, and watch his space…

Hyeon Chung – Another of the young players with bags of talent. He came good at the inaugural NextGen Finals, under the new format, unbeaten over the 5-day event. He is a very good clay court player, improving all the time on hard courts. Expect his ranking to reflect his ability soon, as it was affected by injury during 2017. He could easily be a top 20 player a year from now. Also, great to watch and as humble as Nadal. A wonderful prospect and a lovely guy.

Frances Tiafoe - Tiafoe is a bright young talent on the cusp of turning twenty. He has a very exciting looking game and a passionate on court manner of the ilk of Nadal. He looks like he means it and like it means the earth to him to play. From his physical appearance to the way he strikes the ball he is an exciting prospect indeed. He was unlucky not to be the final entry into the inaugural NextGen Finals, as the final spot went to an Italian qualifier. Expect his explosive game to really take off this year. 

Bonus players: Stanislas Wawrinka and Maria Sharapova. Both are multiple grand slam champions who can beat anyone on their day. Don't bet against them, but a bet on them could easily end in disappointment. Sharapova will feel she has something to prove after events of the last few years, Wawrinka probably won't, but that's often when he's at his most dangerous. 

Honourable mention: Both Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova deserve a mention. Azarenka’s custody battle has completely put her career on the back burner in the last months and she’ll be hoping that once that is resolved, soon, with any luck, that she can make a surge up the rankings and return to some of her earlier career highlights. Kvitova, another double slam winner, is still fighting her way back from a terrible injury in a violent attack she was the victim of. At her best she can part the players and storm to a title. 

First published as a BITESIZE series on tennisworldusa.org