Greatest Season for a Year End Number Two

[akv89]

What is the single greatest season recorded by a player who finished year end #2 in the ATP?
It is important to note that just because the #2 player was very close to finishing #1, it does not mean that he had one of the greatest seasons for a #2 player, because the competition for #1 may have been more spread out that year and there was no single person who had an amazing year.
Some contenders may be:

Guillermo Vilas 1977: Won French and the US open and was finalist in the Australian Open. Made it to the semis of the year end championships. Set a record of 128 wins in a single year while winning 16 titles.

Bjorn Borg 1978: Won French and Wimbledon and reached finals at US open.

Borg 1981: Won French and reached the finals of Wimbledon and US open.

Connors 1982: Won Wimbledon and US open.

Lendl 1984: Won French open, finalist at US open and year end masters, and semifinalist at Wimbledon.

Boris Becker 1989: won the Wimbledon and the US open and reached the finals of the year end championships and also won the stockholm masters, reaching the finals of two other masters series. He also reached the semis at the Roland Garros.

Andre Agassi 1995: Won the Australian open and reached the finals of the US open and the semifinals of wimbledon. Also won 3 masters titles. Won 89% of his matches.

Rafael Nadal 2005: Won the French open and four masters titles. Won in 89% of his matches.

Rafael Nadal 2007: Won the French open, made it to the finals of Wimbledon, semifinals of year end championships and won 3 masters titles

 

[daddy]

Well you pretty much summed it up there. Vilas with his 16 tourney wins in that one year was the most impresive but the other examples you wrote about sum up the complete thread. You kind of killed your own thread but thanks for the info.

 

[akv89]

Well you pretty much summed it up there. Vilas with his 16 tourney wins in that one year was the most impresive but the other examples you wrote about sum up the complete thread. You kind of killed your own thread but thanks for the info.

Well i was just giving people some (perhaps all) examples of such years so that they can pick one of the examples that I gave or one that I may have missed and explain why that particular player in that particular year had a better year than an other year end #2.

 

[jeffreyneave]

The atp no1 in 1977 ,1978, 1982 are wrong. Most people would regard vilas or borg as n01 in 1977. borg was no1 in 1978 according to the ITF and Atp players. Connors was no1 in 1982 according to the ITF and Atp players vote.

The atp ranking system in the 70s with its average system and its low percentage mark up for slams (only 33%), and no super nines you have to play is way different to today's atp rankings.

jeffrey

 

[Moose Malloy]

The atp no1 in 1977 ,1978, 1982 are wrong.

so do you agree with '89? Since the 'improved' ranking system of 1990 were there any other years you disagreed with?

 

[Katlion]

Yeah, I think you've summed it up there! Good job bud!

 

[daddy]

The atp no1 in 1977 ,1978, 1982 are wrong. Most people would regard vilas or borg as n01 in 1977. borg was no1 in 1978 according to the ITF and Atp players. Connors was no1 in 1982 according to the ITF and Atp players vote.

The atp ranking system in the 70s with its average system and its low percentage mark up for slams (only 33%), and no super nines you have to play is way different to today's atp rankings.

jeffrey

Say that to Vilas.

 

[chaognosis]

I agree with your choices, and Jeffrey is dead on with his explanation--the computer rankings of the 1970s and '80s were a joke, and in many cases should be considered irrelevant. Perhaps you could expand your criteria to include players ranked even lower than No. 2, in which case Ashe in 1975 (ranked No. 4 but clearly the best player that year) and Wilander in 1983 (also ranked No. 4 but in my judgment neck-and-neck with McEnroe) could be included.

 

[daddy]

I agree with your choices, and Jeffrey is dead on with his explanation--the computer rankings of the 1970s and '80s were a joke, and in many cases should be considered irrelevant. Perhaps you could expand your criteria to include players ranked even lower than No. 2, in which case Ashe in 1975 (ranked No. 4 but clearly the best player that year) and Wilander in 1983 (also ranked No. 4 but in my judgment neck-and-neck with McEnroe) could be included.

Since both of those seasons came before I was born/able to watch tennis, some elaboration would be apriciated. Both on the ranking systhem back then & on the two seasons in question for the nr4 ranked players. Interesting stuff.

As for the Vilas comment, I doubt it means much to him that the ranking system is changed because he was 'officialy' never at the very top. Sad but this is how it is, no player awards or anything else, incl knowledge on faultyness of the old system will make up for this.

 

[jeffreyneave]

atp rankings

yes I would agree that Ashe was no1 in 1975; Becker was no1 in 1989 and that Wilander was very close to Mcenroe in 1983.

Since 1996 the ATp has had a 100% mark up for slams and has insisted that you play all the super 9s, leaving you only with a best 5 to make up the 18 events. This system is much better than the one in the 70s and 1980s and has not produced any horrors . The ITf has always agreed the atp no1 since then.

jeffrey

 

[llgc8080]

The atp no1 in 1977 ,1978, 1982 are wrong. Most people would regard vilas or borg as no1 in 1977. borg was no1 in 1978 according to the ITF and Atp players. Connors was no1 in 1982 according to the ITF and Atp players vote.

The atp ranking system in the 70s with its average system and its low percentage mark up for slams (only 33%), and no super nines you have to play is way different to today's atp rankings.

jeffrey

My opinion too. Rankings in 70's weren't serious.