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2018 started with a lot of promise and expectations. There was speculation as to whether Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would replicate their stunning 2017 season. 2017 saw the return of the Fedal duopoly. Would it carry over to 2018? There was anticipation to the returns of the injured Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, and Kei Nishikori. Would they make a strong return in the manner that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal achieved in 2017? There was curiosity as to whether Marin Cilic and Juan Martin Del Potro would become double slam winners. There was hope as to whether the young players, like Alexander Zverev , Grigor Dimitrov , and Dominic Thiem, who made a mark in 2017 be able to match or improve their performance in 2018. Let’s see how some of the big name players fared in the first half of 2018 as compared to this point in their 2017 campaign.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer appear to be carrying on from where they left off in 2017. At this time last year they had collectively won 8 tournaments including the first two Grand Slams of the year. The Fedal duopoly has somewhat sustained as they have won 7 titles, again including the first two Grand Slams.
Nadal started the year as World No. 1. He lost and regained the No. 1 ranking on three occasions. Nadal won the same number of tournaments with a much better winning percentage as he did not play as much as he did in 2017. The Spanish bull suffered a knee injury near the end of 2017 which was aggravated during the Australian Open leading him to retire in the quarter-finals. He did not play the Mexican Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open as he was recuperating. Considering that he came back from injury and was still able to repeat his 2017 clay court success including a record-extending 11th French Open, it has been an excellent year so far for Rafa.
Federer became the oldest World No. 1 of all time on three occasions so far. On paper the Swiss master is not doing as well as he was in 2018 and has defended only one of his titles so far while winning 2 different titles. Considering that the man is in his 37th year and one of the titles was a Grand Slam while also being a finalist in 2 other tournaments, it has been a good year so far for Federer.
There is no reason to think that these 2 superstars will not continue their success in the second half of 2018
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were carrying injuries in 2017 which affected their level of play and led them to call time on their season after Wimbledon.
Djokovic had won 2 titles in 2017, the Qatar Open and the Eastbourne International. He returned to action at the Australian Open, losing in the fourth round and then underwent surgery on his elbow. He made his return in March without success losing in the first rounds of Indian Wells and the Miami Masters. He reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open and the finals of the Queen’s Club Championships. The Djoker has shown steady improvement in the last 2 months and seems to be on track to reach somewhere near his former level in the second half of the year.
Murray won only 1 title in 2017, the Dubai Open. His planned return to the Australian Open did not pan out as his hip was not at 100%. After months of rehab, the Scotsman opted for surgery further delaying his return. He made his return at the Queen's Club Championships where he played strongly in a losing effort. At the Eastbourne International, he defeated Stan Wawrinka before falling to Kyle Edmund. He has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to his hip, saying it was too soon to play five-set matches. Murray played well considering his surgery however it remains to be seen if he can reach his former level.
Stan Wawrinka, Milos Ranic, and Kei Nishikori all called time on their 2017 campaign and returned in 2018 with varying degrees of success.
Stan Wawrinka had knee surgery and has been struggling, mostly losing in the first or second rounds. His best showing was a semi-final loss at the Sofia Open.
Milos Raonic has performed slightly better reaching the finals of the Stuttgart Open losing to Federer. He also reached the semi-finals of Indian Wells however withdrew from the French Open due to a knee injury and retired from the Queen’s Club Championships due to injury.
Kei Nishikori returned from wrist injury by playing a couple of challenger tour events and won one of them. He has shown steady improvement and reached the finals of the Monte-Carlo Open losing to Nadal.
They are all scheduled to play at Wimbledon and it remains to be seen as to how they will perform for the rest of 2018.
Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov had his best ever season in 2017 winning 4 titles including his maiden ATP 1000 title at Cincinnati as well as the ATP Finals. He ended the year as World No. 3. At this time last year, the Bulgarian had won 2 titles however he has reached only one final so far in 2018. More worrying is that he is losing earlier in tournaments than he did last year. Once considered as a future World No. 1 and Grand Slam champion, the 27-year old is rapidly running out of time to make his mark and is now the World No. 6.
Alexander Zverev also had his best season in 2017 winning 5 titles including 2 ATP 1000 titles at the Italian Open and the Canadian. He reached a high of World No. 3 before ending the year as World No. 4.
The 21-year old has done well in 2018 winning his third ATP 1000 title at the Madrid Open joining the Big 4 in being the only active players to have won three or more ATP 1000 titles. He reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open and reached the finals at the Miami Open and the Italian Open. He is back to World No. 3 and the second half of 2018 looks promising for the German.
Marin Cilic
The highlight of 2017 for Marin Cilic was reaching the Wimbledon finals and winning one title at the Istanbul Open. He has had a similar 2018 as he reached the Australian Open finals and won one title at the Queen’s Club Championships. In reaching the quarter-finals of the 2017 French Open, Cilic became one of the few active players who have reached the quarter-finals of all Grand Slams. He reached the same stage this year as well. Cilic has the potential to rise higher than his current ranking of 5 in the second half of 2018.
Nick Kyrgios has shown an improved temperament in 2018 winning the Brisbane International. He did not win any title in 2017. His fourth round loss to Dimitrov at the Australian Open in 4 tight sets was one of the matches of the tournament. He also lost a close semi-final to Federer in 3 sets at the Stuttgart Open similar to his loss to Federer at the 2017 Miami Open. He reached the semi-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships as well. The mercurial Australian has played some fine tennis this year and if he can keep his focus, you may expect him to rise higher than his current World Ranking of 19.
By this time last year, Juan Martin Del Potro had not won any titles. So far in 2018 Del Potro has won 2 titles including his first ATP 1000 title at Indian Wells in a close final against Federer. He reached the semi-finals of the French Open and reached his highest ranking of World No. 4. It has been one of the best years for Del Potro and if the Argentinean can stay healthy then he can be a contender for any title in the second half of 2018.
Dominic Thiem won one title this time last year while he has won two so far this year. He reached the Madrid Open finals both years and is the only player to beat Nadal on clay in both 2017 and 2018. He reached the finals of the French Open which improvd upon his semi-final showing in 2017. Primarily a clay court player, he is effective on hard courts and is expected to do well in the second half of 2018.
There were a couple of surprise performers this year. Chung Hyeon and Kyle Edmund reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open becoming the first time that two unseeded players reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2008 and first since 1999 at the Australian Open. Both have shown promise and have potential. The surprise performer of 2017, Dennis Shapovalov, has continued to improve and has entered the top 30.
The first half of 2018 has thrown a few surprises. There were two first time winners of an ATP 1000 title, Del Potro at Indian Wells and John Isner at the Miami Open.There was Federer's erratic performance leading to a shock second round loss at the Miami Open and a finals loss at the Halle Open.
As usual, there was little challenge to Nadal on clay. He was beaten by Thiem for the second year in a row and was pushed to the limit at the Italian Open by Zverev, coming from a break down to win the title in 3 sets.
The second half of 2018 promises to be exciting with the younger players improving in game and confidence while the Big 4 strive to extend their dominance. Will we see more first time ATP 1000 winners or new Grand Slam champions? Will there be unexpected success stories like Chung Hyeon and Kyle Edmund? Will there be a brand new World No. 1? We will have to wait and watch.
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