Will the 'Big Three' continue to dominate men's tennis in 2015?
With the busy 2014 season coming to an end, all the players have already started warming up for the 2015 season. Looking ahead, it is actually extremely hard to predict what is going to happen or who the Grand Slam winners are going to be.
Pete Sampras did recently say that the 2015 season will be dominated by the “Big 3” once again. Although the 14-time Grand Slam champion might be right about that, it sure isn’t going to be easy at all.
Many new players have come into the fray
2014 has seen the rise of a lot of young stars in tennis and also two new Grand Slam champions in the form of Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, who won the Australian Open and the US Open respectively.
Kei Nishikori was in incredible last season. He became the first Asian to reach a Grand Slam singles final and he also reached the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals. Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov have had a host of good results too; they have been improving every year and will be looking to make a mark on the big stage next year.
Other youngsters like Nick Kyrgios and Borna Coric have broken into the top 100 already and will be looking to cause more upsets in 2015. Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer have looked dangerous as usual, picking up a few titles on the way and causing some trouble to the top 3 players.
Gael Monfils hit a purple patch towards the end of the season and after his superb performance against Roger Federer in the Davis Cup, it looks like 2015 might finally be his year to shine.
Andy Murray had a disappointing season, but he did pick up three titles in one month leading up to the Tour Finals. He will be looking to carry that form into 2015, and we all know how dangerous an in-form Andy Murray can be. The Scot will be looking to change the elite group from the “Big 3” to the “Big 4” once again.
Will the “Big 3” be able to continue their dominance next year?
With so many players being in such good form entering 2015, it certainly isn’t going to be easy for any of the “Big 3” to win trophies with the ease with which they have been doing for so many years now.
Novak Djokovic will be looking to carry on his form from the ATP World Tour Finals into 2015 and he will also have a tough fight to retain his No. 1 world ranking.
After having an exceptional season in 2014, Roger Federer will be looking to extend his brilliant run and pick up a Grand Slam in 2015. He will also be challenging Novak Djokovic as he looks to get back the World No. 1 ranking.
Rafael Nadal will be coming back from injury and it is difficult to predict how the Spaniard is going to fare in 2015. If he is able to keep his injuries away and get back to top form, we could see him lift a few trophies in 2015.
After assessing the results of 2013 on court, when we entered 2014, most of us predicted that Djokovic and Nadal would dominate the year. No one would have predicted Wawrinka and Cilic winning Grand Slams, and very few people would have expected so many other players to make a mark on the big stage. These upcoming players have consistently looked good throughout the year are only getting better. Most of them are also younger than the Big 3, and this could be an added advantage to them.
So after assessing the results in 2014, we can say that 2015 might finally see the decline of the “Big 3” and see some new players make their mark on the big stage. Will Federer, Djokovic and Nadal let that happen? Let's wait and find out.
2015 is surely going to be an exciting year for tennis fans all around the world!