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The 2018 tennis season was an eventful one in many ways. Although the season didn't signal the end of veteran players per se, it surely signaled the beginning of a new dawn with young guns Naomi Osaka and Alexander Zverev winning the US Open Women's Singles and the ATP Finals respectively.
The old guard did hold on to their status quo, especially in Grand Slams with the likes of 30+ players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber all winning a Slam. Serena Williams also deserves plaudits for her remarkable second half of the season where she narrowly missed out on equaling Margaret Court's all-time Grand Slam tally of 24, finishing runner-up at both Wimbledon and US Open despite being ranked outside the Top-10.
So where does this leave some players who achieved glory in the past but failed to make an impact in 2018 due to injuries and other factors? Well, that is exactly what this slideshow looks at. Here are 4 players who have had a forgettable 2018 season by their high standards and will look to bounce back next year.
#1 Victoria Azarenka
Former World Number 1 and 2-time Australian Open Champion Victoria Azarenka has had to battle many struggles on the personal front including a prolonged custody battle over her child. This has impacted her appearances on court this year.
Azarenka received a wildcard at the Australian Open early this year but was forced to withdraw due to legal proceedings of the custody battle. She participated in the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open where she made the semis following which she cracked the Top-100 for the first time since her return. She did not progress beyond the third round in any of the remaining Grand Slams though.
Azarenka has reunited with her old coach Wim Fissette and has begun earnest preparations for the 2019 season where she will look to force her way into the top of the WTA charts once again. Considering that she has won the Australian Open in the past, she would definitely be one of the dark horses to win the tournament early next year.
#2 Maria Sharapova
Russian Maria Sharapova began the year ranked a lowly 60. She made the third round of the Australian Open where she lost to Angelique Kerber in straight sets. She featured in the Qatar Open but was eliminated in the opening round itself. Injuries started to plague her season soon after as she withdrew from the Dubai Open. Another disappointing loss in the 1st round in Indian Wells followed by a forearm injury meant that her ranking was again beginning to slide.
Her run to the semi-finals at the Italian Open meant that she cracked the WTA top-30 for the first time since her return from suspension. A quarter-finals finish at Roland Garros followed. A first-round loss at Wimbledon and a first-ever night session loss in her career at the US Open though took the shine away from her comeback. She skipped the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury and finished the year ranked 29.
The 5-time Grand Slam champion surely has it in her to scale the heights which she achieved prior to her doping ban. 2019 will be the make or break year for her as she is now past 30.
#3 Stanislas Wawrinka
'Stan the Man' or 'Stanimal' as he is referred to, Swiss star Stanislas Wawrinka has earned a reputation of being a giant-killer over the years.
Wawrinka played arguably the greatest tennis match of his career to beat an invincible Novak Djokovic at the 2015 French Open final after being a set down. Of late, however, injuries have bothered him and he has had to endure a forgettable 2018 campaign. His 3 Grand Slam titles have made experts re-brand the 'Big 4' to the 'Big 5' to include Wawrinka.
After returning from a lengthy lay-off due to a knee injury, Wawrinka had a disappointing outing at Melbourne, losing in the 2nd round. A string of first-round exits against relatively lesser known players followed as he experienced a flare-up of his knee injury. This meant that he was sidelined for another 3 months.
After a first-round loss at the French Open, his ranking slipped to 251. A string of losses followed in all the remaining tournaments that he featured in for the rest of the year.
Wawrinka did show glimpses of his remarkable talent despite not being a 100%, notching up wins over higher ranked players like Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Nick Kyrgios.
Wawrinka has confirmed his participation in the Marseille Open early next year as he seeks to re-discover his silken touch in 2019.
#4 Andy Murray
The one player that the entire world will be looking at with heightened expectations going into 2019 is Andy Murray. The former World Number 1 has fallen off the charts owing to a long-term hip injury.
A series of tournaments missed since the 2017 US Open meant that Andy Murray lost his status as the top-ranked British player to Kyle Edmund for the first time since 2006. Murray went through rigorous match preparation drills at the famous Patrick Mouratoglou Academy in Nice, France.
Although still not a 100%, Murray decided to play at the Queen's Club Championships only to lose to Nick Kyrgios in the 1st round. A second-round loss at Eastbourne International followed. Murray was forced to pull out of Wimbledon as he was not physically ready to fulfill the demands of 5-set tennis.
He dropped to a lowly 839 in the ATP rankings and followed it up with a second-round exit at the US Open, losing to Verdasco. At Shenzhen, China, he was again beaten by Verdasco in the quarter-finals after notching a win over top-seed David Goffin. An ankle issue flared up prompting him to call an end to his season.
Murray looks determined to make an instant impact in 2019 and his motivation is clearly seen from the videos that he has posted on Instagram. Bouncing off trampolines, performing handstands and other gymnastic exercises are some of the offbeat things that Murray has been up to in the off-season working with famed reconditioning specialist, Bill Knowles.
From the video below it is evident that Murray doesn't want to be left behind and is eager to win trophies just like the other 3 members of the Big 4 have been doing in 2018.
