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2017 top players: women’s 1-5

December 19, 2017 by Leave a Comment


TennisReporters.net will review 2017’s top 30 women and men, our annual feature.

No. 1: Simona Halep
It is amazing that the Romanian ended the year as No. 1. She has yet to win a major, but still, she was remarkably consistent in 2017. The very steady Simona only won one tournament, in Madrid. Beyond that, she reached a number of finals — and she lost in Rome, Roland Garros, Cincy and Beijing. She has had some terrific wins, and mediocre losses. She is quite strong, can runs forever and keeps her chin up. Simona has come close to winning a Grand Slam. Without a doubt, in 2018, she will get another opportunity in a final. The only way to actually raise the trophy is not to back off —  at all.   

No 2: Garbiñe Muguruza
The Spaniard played so much better this season, at least when she began in May, and then, she was ready to be rock on. She won Wimbledon, smashing her forehand and backhand, moving forward very quickly and nailing her serve. Also, she prevailed in Cincinnati, smoking Kristina Pliskova and Halep. However, she began to fade, and she did not win another tournament. That’s why she is No. 2, not No. 1, and she should stay there for more than just a few weeks. The Spaniard won the WTA Player of the Year award. She is getting better all the time, and she will win another Slam in 2018 In order to do so, she needs to locked it and stay there. 

No 3: Caroline Wozniacki
Props to the Dane. In 2016, she was fading, badly. But in 2017, she returned and she was ready to push herself without moving backwards all the time. She ended the year winning the WTA Final, knocking down Halep, Pliskova and Venus Williams, along with Tokyo. Still the year was filled with near misses when she lost six finals. The great thing about Caro is she never gives up, truly. Yes, on court, when she gets upset because she can’t find the lines, and she was afraid to try to put together a winner. In the fall, she had to, one way or another. And she did. Can the veteran win a Grand Slam in 2018? I have no idea, because years ago, I thought she would. But now, she has improved her forehand a little bit. This is the last time: Caro can win either the Aussie Open or the US Open. Pick-em.
 
No. 4: Karolina Pliskova
The Czech can look so, so good, and there are other times that she checks out mentally. She is tall, has a massive first serve, can move into the net and put it away. But, each week, she is often up in the air. She has won a number of huge matches, but she has yet to win a major. She has come close, but right at the end, her eyes started to glaze. She is faster running now than she used to be, and she is pretty quick when she is rushing towards the net. With her volley, she is the best player at the net, with the exception of Serena. But can Karolina finally win a major? I would say yes, in 2018, but she has to focus for two straight weeks.  

No. 5: Venus Williams
Venus just keeps going and going. She is 37 years old. While she’s a little bit slower now, she still has a great backhand, a massive first serve, and occasionally, commanding at the net. Also, her forehand has gotten a little bit better, and shows more power. It has only taken Venus 20 years on the WTA tour to figure out how to drive her forehand deep. That has been a long time, but the reality is, she always wants to improve, which is excellent. In 2018, she will win a few more titles, but to grab a Slam again? That is very difficult. She has won seven majors, but the last time was in 2008, at Wimbledon, and that was a long time ago. You have to give her another shot in 2018, at Wimbledon again. So let’s see that she can change her tactics in the final.

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WTA Finals: Revived Wozniacki wins the title in Singapore

October 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Former No. 1 runs over Venus Williams for first year-end tournament crown

It has been six years since Caro Wozniacki was atop the end-of-the-year WTA rankings. Back in those years (some of her best), she reached many finals. But, especially in the Grand Slams, she grew crazy nervous and the steady foe almost collapsed.

But not this time. No, she rose super high.

In 2014, Wozniacki  reached the US Open final, when she was ready to win her first major. She went on court against Serena Williams — her good friend — and clearly, the American is a better player. Why? Wozniacki did not hit the ball harder enough, and she lost in straight sets.

No big deal. But pretty quickly, it became a huge deal.

In 2015, she would push the ball frequently, and she would not go for the lines. She only won one small title. Wozniacki was freustrated and disappointed.

In 2016, she did the same thing, more or less. Her backhand is one of the best shots out there, and she is incredibly fast. She never gets tired — ever. But her forehand was pretty weak, she would rush the net much, and she did not attack on the second serves. Wozniacki did manage to win Tokyo and Hong Kong, but it wasn’t big enough for a player of her ability.

This season, finally, she changed and she became more aggressive — especially with her forehand —  and courageous.  That got her to six finals and six failures in Doha, Dubai, Miami, Eastbourne, Bastad and Toronto. Could she find a way to do something different? At the US Open, in early September, she froze again.

She then went to Asia, and she discovered that win or lose, she has to burst out of her shell and take some chances.

And finally, she did.

Wozniacki won Tokyo and when she arrived in Singapore for the WTA Finals, she felt more comfortable with her new strategy. She crushed the No. 1 Simona Halep, edged Karolina Pliskvova in the semis, and in the final, she jumped over the seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4.     

Wozniacki won it, and on court, she smiled, so wide.

“I tried to keep pressure on [Venus] and tried to take a little bit of time away and stay a little bit closer to the baseline. It’s important for me to try and cut the angles and try and take the ball on the rise, and I think I did that pretty well,” Wozniacki said. “[Williams] started mixing up the serve a little bit more.  I just had to keep reminding myself that I’m still up and I’m the one who is leading here, and I’m the one who can close out this match right now.”

Wozniacki jumps up three slots and finishes 2017 ranked No. 3. She has already been No. 1 for a couple of years, which is good in a  way, but the most important thing is to finally win a Grand Slam. Next year, in 2018, she has to step up and play ball. If she does, she can win her biggest trophy.

The 26-year-old has been playing at the WTA for 10 years. It is time for her to triumph. Next year, we will discover that inside of her head, she will understand exactly what she has to do.
 
“I’m really proud of how I have played all week and how I have fought and how I really produced some great fighting out there. To be here with the trophy means a lot, and it’s a great way to finish off the year,” she said.

A nod to the hometown boy
Roger Federer may not be surprising us with his greatness, but he keeps on proving that the best is just a word that is constantly being redefined.

Federer won his hometown tournament in Basel for the eighth time, downing Juan del Potro and, in a certain sense, getting some revenge over the player who knocked him out of the US Open. 

More importantly, Fed moves into second place alltime with ATP wins. He eclipsed Ivan Lendl as he grabbed his 95 title along with his seventh this year. In an era with less money and more incentive to play often, Jimmy Connors won 109 tournaments over his long career. 

In the era when competition included undeniable greats Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Federer keeps finding a way to cement his legacy as the GOAT.

Federer is probably waving goodbye to any chance at ending the year as No. 1 by pulling out of Paris. Without emassing some major points in the French capitol, even a tournament win in the ATP Finals won’t allow Federer to surplant Nadal as yearend No. 1.

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WTA Finals: Garcia overcomes Wozniacki, to face Venus

October 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment


Pliskova to face Wozniack in other year-end semi

Caroline Garcia was blown out by Caro Wozniacki with a 6-0 bagel in the first set of their WTA Finals round-robin match. Then, after resurrecting with a 6-3, Garcia gained a running start. Going into the third set, she ready and confident. The Frenchwoman knew that she had risen before; now, it was time to fly.   

Garcia did, just before the finish line. Down 3-5 in the third, she rose. Once again, the Frenchwoman didn’t back off. She beat Wozniacki 7-5 in the third, stunning the world, once again. 

So now, Garcia has reached the semis against Venus Williams on Saturday. Can Garcia actually win the event? Based on her blazing hot recent play, she has an excellent chance with her big opportunity. Moving into the semis of this year-end tournament in Singapore is a huge career boost. She was No. 23 just one year ago.

Venus is rising, too
The 37-year-old Williamd pushed and prodded and finally, after three hours, beat the 20-year-old Jelena Ostapeno . Two days ago, Venus appeared to be tired, but somehow, blasted Garbine Mugruzua, the two-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets.

Venus has won the WTA Finals before (2008 vs Vera Zvonareva). When she’s physically well, she has a realistic chance, a big chance, to win it again.

It was good to see Elina Svitolina finally play well, and she knocked off Simona Halep. Both of then have lost two times at Singapore, so they are done this year. Svitolina has to calm down and steady herself more in 2018, week after week. Halep has be upbeat and aggressive next year. She remains a threat at every Slam. 

Wozniacki will face against Katerina Pliskova on Saturday. Pliskova is unpredictable.  It’s a tossup, because Wozniacki likes to keep the ball in play. The final decider: It is all on their forehands.

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Star-spangled semis: Four American women

September 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

FROM THE US OPEN , SEPTEMBER 9 – American CoCo Vandeweghe pulled off an amazing victor overcoming Aga Radwanska 6-4 in the third set of the third round. Then she out-stroked Lucia Safarova in two tough sets. On Tuesday, she walked on court again, and rose up, edging the then No. 1, Katarina Pliskova. Those were three fine victories. A few years ago, Vandeweghe was barely so-so, and now she concentrates, all the time. She is not only strong, but faster, and smarter. Vandeweghe desperately wants to go even deeper at the USO.

Next up is Madison Keys and the two Americans know each other pretty well. Keys, who finally stopped being so disappointed when she wasn’t playing well, continues to battle, and she managed to push down No. 4 Elena Svitolina. Floridian Keys is a massive hitter, from her backhand to her forehand to her first serve. Over the past few years, she has played fantastic and then loses emotional control and falls off badly. Finally, she is maturing.      

Once again, both of them love to bash the ball, and hit some gigantic serves. Whoever becomes gutsy will win the match. 

Venus Williams vs. Stephens

We all know that Sloane Stephens is on a roll. She beat Domi Cibulkova and Anastasia Sevastova in three sets, because she is moving so well, is very confident when she has an opportunity to hit deep groundstrokes. She can run forever, and she likes going down the line.With about a doubt, Stephens has played fantastic over the past six weeks.

She and Venus Williams have played once at the ‘15 Roland Garros first round with the younger American winning 7-6, 6-1. Williams didn’t play great, and it was on clay, so this is completely different.

Venus has won this tournament twice, in 2000 and 2001. She played fantastic, but it was a long time ago. As always, Williams has a fine backhand, a big first serve and she is super cagey. She can bother Stephens because she can be quite patient. Of course, it will go three sets. Of course, they both want to win — badly. At the end, it will be who is willing to kiss the lines. Toss-up? Maybe.

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Picking the US Open Women’s Draw

August 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The First Quarter

No.1 Karolina Pliskova almost won the 2016 US Open, but Angie Kerber took her down, 6-4 in the third set. The Czech has played pretty well recently. She has improved a lot over the past two years. She is a little bit faster, she crushes the ball and she is very good at the net. Here, she is one of the favorites to win her first Grand Slam. But, at times, she can get angry and be off her game.

Pliskova might have to face against Shuai Zhang in the third round, which could be difficult, but she should get through. In the fourth round, then she will have to play ball. Assuming that Kristina Mladenovic gets through, then the Frenchwoman will be set to attack Pliskova. Mladenovic loves to come into the net, and while she isn’t very fast, she can create angles.

In the quarters, there are five players who can challenge the Czech: the good veterans – Svetlana Kuznetsova, CoCo Vandeweghe and Lucie Safarova – and the two very young players, CiCi Bellis and Anett Kontaveit. Pick the teenager Bellis, who is rising super fast, to move through the early rounds. But, by the time she hits the quarters against Pliskova, she will tap out.

The Second Quarter

There are lots of possibilities.

Elina Svitolina has played extremely well this season. She recently won Toronto, smoking her backhand and forehand. She is very determined. However, she has yet to go deep at the majors.

She might have to face Daria Gavilova in the third round, who has reached the final in Connecticut. She is small, but she loves to play and she is super fast. But Svitolina will move on, and then she will go up against Madison Keys, who is finally happy again. The American is ready to go on the court and stay there for hours. Both Keys and Svitolina want it bad, and in the end, Keys will hit harder and she will reach the quarters.

Guess who will play against Keys? How about the RG champion Jelena Ostapenko? The young big swinger hasn’t played great on the hard courts, but she knows what to do: powder the ball and hope it goes in. Without a doubt, if she faces against Angie Kerber, she will win in the fourth round, because the German is mentally gone.

Can Keys beat Ostapenko? Toss-up, as both of them are aggressive all the time. Give it to Keys, in a great marathon.

 

The Third Quarter

Ms. Garbiñe Muguruza is the favorite, hands down. She won Wimbledon, and she just won Cincy. She is on fire, and while she can get mad and pout, her first serve, forehand and backhand are very, very good.

Who can upset Muguruza? Maybe Petra Kvitova, if she is really back. But the two-time Slam champion hasn’t played well at all during the last five weeks and she has a tremendous amount of work to do. Possibly Venus Williams, but the former No. 1 is up and down on hard courts. Caroline Garcia has gotten better, but is not yet a real threat to top players. And then there is Caroline Wozniacki, who has played very, very well this season, but once she reaches the final, she really backs off.

It has to be Muguruza, hands down.

The Fourth Quarter

Well, well, what a great contest coming up in the first round with the five-time major champion Maria Sharapova versus the No. 2 Simona Halep. Sharapova is just coming back, and if she can be healthy, maybe then she can win another major. But until she is 100 percent physically, she will struggle.

But she is better than Halep. The Romanian is 0-3 in matches this year when one win would have given her the top ranking. She has frozen and played very badly, going down very quickly. Just last week, Muguruza destroyed her in the Cincy final, dashing her third shot at No. 1.

Remember in the 2014 final at Roland Garros? Sharapova beat Halep 6-4 in the third. Maria rose up at the end, and Halep pushed the ball. At the USO, both of them will be nervous, but Sharapova – if she isn’t hurt – will continue to attack. Halep will back off. Sharapova will win.

Who will reach the quarters? Look to Jo Konta, Ana Konjuh,or Sloane Stephens. Pick Stephens, who is lights out right now.

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Venus vs. Muguruza: Who will raise the Wimbledon trophy?

July 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment

WIMBLEDON WOMEN’S FINAL – Venus Williams has won Wimbledon five times. When she was young, it looked like she could win every year. She was so fast, so determined, so into it. Her first serve was hard and dominating, her backhand could produce winners crosscourt and down the line. She was quick, she was aggressive, she could be steady.

But things changed over the years. The last time that she won a major was 10 years ago, right here at Wimbledon. She beat her younger sister, Serena, who cried. Venus hugged her and, at that point, it was hard to say which one of those two would have more titles,and more Slams. 
But almost immediately, Serena rose up. Venus looked pretty good, but she couldn’t approach her best friend.

Now, Serena has 23 Grand Slams while Venus has eight majors. Cleary, Serena is better than she is, but not much. In fact, if Serena wasn’t playing tennis at all, Venus could have 15 majors. In reality, though, Serena has a much better second serve, forehand and concentration.

Venus is 36 years old and, at least during the past 12 days at 2017 Wimbledon, she actually looked fantastic. She is a little slower than she used to be, but her forehand is deeper and she is very adept at the net. She can return, too.

Is she the favorite against Garbine Muguruza in the final on Saturday? That is a very tough one, because over the past six weeks, the Spaniard finally calmed down, became consistent and very smart. Yes, she is fast and she can smoke her first serve, her forehand and backhand. She likes to go for it.

Muguruza won Roland Garros last year. She is not too young, she is not too old, she is right in the middle. She will not get nervous. 
As she says, now, she can play smarter and be more mature than her younger version. Perhaps, because when they walk on the Centre Court, Muguruza will look around and think, “I am more powerful and directed.” 

It will go to three sets and, on match point, Venus will sprint to the left, take her two-handed backhand, swing it as hard as she can and kiss it on the line. 

Number nine for Ms. Williams.

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Venus out-hits Ostapenko, to face Konta in semis

July 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Wimbledon, Day 9 – Who would have thought that Venus Williams would keep her cool and dominate with her forehand? We all know that Venus has won five Grand Slams at Wimbledon, but she hasn’t won since 2008, which is a long time.

However, Venus never gives up, and I mean never, ever gives up, because in the past 20 years, even when she wasn’t playing well at all, she continues to try. It is so, so true. Others bail, but not Venus, who figures that once in a while, when her form returns, and she can crack it deep, touch the lines, crush a first serve, then she can beat anyone, which she did on Tuesday.

Williams defeated the Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in two sets. Ostapenko is super young, and she still needs to learn the nuances of grass. Eventually, she will win Wimbledon someday. But not yet.

Venus has to face Britain’s Jo Konta, who overcame Simona Halep in three fantastic sets. There is a good amount of pressure from Konta, but when she is playing, she doesn’t listen to the fans yelling when she is hitting the ball; she locks in and she focuses. That is why she has reached the semis, the first time for her in ages.

Can she beat Venus? Possibly, as she is much younger than the 36-year-old Williams, and we all know that the British fans will be jumping up and down for Konta. They will be celebrating Konta reaching Wimbledon’s second week — for the first time ever. The fans are learning who she is. Is Konta fast, super aggressive, happy, smart, erratic, super nervous, in trouble? We will find out on Thursday.

We have been watching Garbine Muguruza pretty closely over the past eight weeks. Yes, for a year, her brain was all over the place. But eventually, at Roland Garros, she rose, she didn’t get angry. Now, she is more patient and has begun to she believe in herself again. She bested two-time Grand Slam winners Angie Kerber and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and now, she is in the semis.

Muguruza is favored to reach the final, but you never know. Not with her. She can rip her forehand and backhand, but there are days when she doesn’t like her racket and could snap it. If the Spaniard is calm, she will win. She is that good.

She will play Magdalena Rybarikova, who upended the American Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets. Rybarikova has never reached the semis before, but the veteran plugged on. Against Vandeweghe, she hit it deep and she mixed it up all over the place. It took her eight years to reach the semis at the Slams, and finally, she understood that she needs to be patient, and also, swing away when the opportunity rises. She better do all these things, or Muguruza will crush her.

For the second time in two Slams, Halep had one match to win to ascend to No. 1. But, with the loss to Konta, following the slip in Roland Garros’ final to Ostepenko, Karolina Pliskova will be ranked No. 1 next week. She will be the 23rd top player in WTA history.

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Muller shocks Nadal, Venus to face Ostapenko

July 11, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Muller exploits his lefty serve in Atlanta. Brandon Feusner/ATC

Wimbledon, Day 9, JULY 10 – What a great win by Gilles Muller, who stunned Rafa Nadal  6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13.

The Spaniard was darn close of grabbing the match against the veteran but Muller never gave up as he came charging into the net, time and time again. He didn’t panic when the match was approaching five hours, He believed that if he could hang in, bend low, hit some sweet shots and serve like the demon, the he could actually win. 
And he did. It has taken him during many, many years and finally, Muller found some confidence and stability. Next he will play Marin Cilic, who is very thoughtful. Yes, Muller played as well as he could against Nadal, but Cilic is intelligent now and his serve is phenomenally good. Ace after ace, boys …
Obviously, Roger Federer is the favorite here, especially now that the red-hot Nadal is gone, but Grigor. Dimitrov played terrible and lost in three. Is Dimitrov ever going to win a Slam? Too much is clogging up his head.

How about that classic coming up: Federer versus Milos Raonic. The Canadian overcame Zverev in five sets. In the 5th, he locked in and wiped him out 6-1. Federer has beaten Raonic many times, but in 2016, Milos stunned Roger. It should be damned close on Wednesday.

Another vet, Tomas Berdych, overcame Dominic Thiem in five sets. Nice win by the Czech, but it is very surprising that the young competitors can’t move a notch. This year at the Slams? Maybe at the US Open, but to reach the finals at the majors, it is extremely rugged going against the Big Four.
Sam Querrey will go up against Andy Murray, the two-time champion. Of course, Murray is the favorite. But, last year, the American shocked Novak Djokovic in London. This time, or this week, the Brit will be more patient and he is playing better. But, if Murray starts to yell at his box over and over again, then all bets off.

Predcting the women on Tuesday
The 36-year-old Venus Williams will face the RG champion Jelena Ostapenko. Venus is playing pretty well. Ostapenko is up-and-down and playing nervously. What has helped he win Roland Garros and moving into the Wimbledon quarters is her ability to improve slightly every match. She has become more patient. The 20-year-old loves to swing away, even when she is erratic for a few minutes. Forehand versus forehand, Ostapenko will upset Williams.

Here is another classic, as Jo Konta who will go up against Simona Halep. Konta is super powerful, and she will attempt to hit the lines, all the time, but Halep is a little bit quicker. Halep is steadier, but this is on grass, and the Romanian isn’t comfortable at SW19.

What a great win by Garbine Muguruza over Angie Kerber. The Spaniard is finally back, she jumps on the ball and she doesn’t wait behind the baseline. Now she has to face the intelligent and experienced Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian can play fantastic, or she can drop mentally, pretty quickly. Either way, they will go three sets. If Muguruza doesn’t get hurt, she’s on to the semis.

American Coco Vandeweghe seems to be feeling the rhythm. She bested Caro Wozniacki and now she has to play Magdalena Rybarikova. You would have to think that the huge server Vandeweghe will win in two sets, but you never know. Sure, she has improved over the past year and a half, but she can check out mentally in smaller tournaments. But not at the majors.

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Venus Williams: Can she finally win Roland Garros?

June 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment

At ROLAND GARROS, DAY 7 – Do you remember when Venus Williams came to Roland Garros when she was only 17-years-old?

2017 is the 20th time she has played here in Paris. She has been very good, and very bad. Obviously, Venus has won a ton of tournaments, like Wimbledon and the US Open. But not here in Paris. She has been close some years. On clay, she has a phenomenal backhand and her gigantic first serve is still a weapon. Still, at the age of 36-years-old, her superfast speed is fading.

Can she finally win Roland Garros? I doubt it, but she has a chance — a small chance — but a chance.

Let’s review three great wins at Roland Garros over the years, and three awful losses here in Paris.

GREAT WINS
In 2002, she clubs the nine-time champion Monica Seles 6-4 6-3 in quarters.
In 2004, she destroyed Frenchwoman Mary Pierce 6-3 6-1 in the third round. The half American Pierce had won RG in 2000.
In 2006, she was very steady and bested Patty Schnyder 4-6 6-3 6-2. Schnyder said, “I can never win.”
 
BAD LOSES
In 1997, Venus came over to RG for the first time, and she lost 5-7 6-3 7-5 to Nathlie Tauziat. She was extremely upset.
In 2006 in the quarters, she lost 6-7 6-1 6-3 against the big server, the Czech, Nicole Vaidisova.
In 2013, in the first round, she lost 7-6 6-7 6-4 against the Urszula Radwanska. A brutal loss.

On Friday here in RG, she beat Elise Mertens and will face the tricky Timea Bacsinszky on Sunday. If she wins, she will have to play Garbine Muguruza and/or Kristina Mladenovic. That will be very difficult for sure.

THE DEFENDING CHAMP
Muguruza is rolling on and on, as whacked Yulia Putintseva. On Sunday, she will have to go up against Mladenovic, who is red hot. Mladenovic almost lost, but she came through over American Shelby Rogers 7-5 4-6 8-6. The Spaniard Muguruza won RG last year but has been spotty, at best, since. Big battle coming.     
         
Aussie Sam Stosur trounced Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-2 6-2, and will face the young player Jelena Ostapenko. Good match here.

THE MEN
Rafa Nadal is playing so well now that it is almost impossible to beat him. Nadal crushed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-0 6-1 6-0.

Another Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut, won, whacking Jiri Vesely. He will play Nadal on Sunday. That is not easy for Bautista Agut, but he has to risk it all or he has no chance to stun Rafa.
                       
Here was an upset, based on seeding. Actually, it wasn’t, because the Spaniard Pablo Carreno loves clay, while Grigor Dimitrov is so-so on the dirt. Carreno won in three sets. He will face Milos Raonic. 

The No. 6 Dominic Thiem is pretty consistent now, with his forehand and backhand, and he doesn’t mind rushing to the net.  He is the favorite against the Horacio Zeballos, but soon, he might have to play Novak Djokovic. Recently, the Serb blew him out in the semis of Rome. Thiem has to change up his tactics ASAP.

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The amazing Federer wins again, Konta wins her first huge event

April 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment

THE TOP 10, April 3

PLUS: Nadal, Nick, Caro, Venus & more

Roger Federer

Yes, the 35-year-old put together his best performance to win the 2017 Aussie Open, Indian Wells and Miami. At the start of the year, no one thought that he could go back-to-back-to-back when he was aging.

But he did, and now, he is the best player of all time. 

Hopefully this year, he will not get hurt again. Everyone wants to see him play. If you happen to be in Paris, go out and watch him. Eventually, he will have to retire. But not this year.

Rafa Nadal

The Spaniard has changed a little bit, being a little more aggressive with his backhand down the line and coming into the net. He is trying to mix it up more, which is good, and hopefully, the next time he plays Federer this year, he can out-hit him. In Roland Garros that it, because Federer won’t play again until late May.

Nick Kyrgios

The 20-year-old Aussie had a terrific tournament, nearly beating Federer in three very long sets. He is young and he is improving each week — if he continues to pay attention and be more focused on court.

Fabio Fognini

For the first time, the talented Italian reached the semis in Miami, looking good, mixing it up and pushing himself into the net. Hopefully, he won’t be a one-off.

PLUS 1

Alexander Zverev

The teenager is now ranked No. 20 and he is improving in every tournament he plays.

WOMEN

Johanna Konta

The 25-year-old Brit has improved so much over the past two years, which is mind blowing. In 2014, who knew who she was? But now, she looks like she has a true shot to win a major. She knocked out Simona Halep,

Venus Williams and Caro Wozniacki. That is good as it gets — except for getting a victory over Serena, who is injured.

Caroline Wozniacki

Someday soon, the No. 12 Caroline will win another big tournament again, but she needs to change it up even more. She has to continue to improve her forehand and come into the net once in a while. Regardless, Caro did well in March.

Venus Williams

The 36-year-old Venus is always out there trying as hard as she can, but her second serve is pretty weak and she isn’t as fast as she used to be. Still, she’s back in the top 10, which is admirable. 

Karolina Pliskova

Pliskova is very confusing. She is so strong and aggressive; she works and plays all the time. But somedays, she gets loses her mental focus and then, she is gone.

PLUS 1

Lucie Safarova is coming back strong. The former No. 5 took out Dominika Cibulkova and reached the quarters.

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