How would you rank the 2014 season?

[Netspirit]

To me, this season looks weird, weak and disappointing.

2013 had Nadal's dramatic comeback and domination, Murray's Wimbledon
2012 had "Big 4" in full force - Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray winning the AO, RG, Wimbledon and USO, respectively
2011 was Djokovic's crazy peak season with 3 slams and 7 straight final wins over Nadal
2010 had Nadal winning 3 slams, obliterating competition and establishing himself as a true threat on HC
2009 had Federer's RG after Nadal's only loss to Soderling, Federer's breaking Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and amazing finish by Del Potro and Davydenko
2008 was Djokovic's first slam, Nadal's clay domination, epic Wimbledon final
2007 had Federer's vintage AO win, competitive RG and Wimbledon finals, strong Federer's run at the USO
2006 had Federer's peak where only Nadal was able to stop him from winning the Grand Slam + WTF
2005 was Nadal's breakthrough year, Safin's greatest win, Federer's domination, Agassi's great swan song at the USO, Nalbandian's miracle at the WTF
2004 was Federer's first prime year, crazy RG final, Kuerten's swan song
2003 was Federer's breakthrough year, Roddick's USO win
2002 had Sampras' historical USO win and retirement, Hewitt domination

...I have to go back as far as 2001 to find a year that is as boring as 2014. And in 2001 there was Ivanisevic's Wimbledon miracle, which 2014 cannot match.

So was 2014 the weakest, weirdest season since 2001?

 

[Gonzo_style]

Perfect, Fedrer lost Wimbledon final, lost YE#1, lost WTFs and will lose the DC final as well! LOL

 

[The_Mental_Giant]

To me, this season looks weird, weak and disappointing.

2013 featured Nadal's dramatic comeback and domination, Murray's Wimbledon
2012 had "Big 4" in full force - Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray winning the AO, RG, Wimbledon and USO, respectively
2011 was Djokovic's crazy peak season with 3 slams and 7 straight final wins over Nadal
2010 featured Nadal winning 3 slams, obliterating competition and establishing himself as a true threat on HC
2009 had Federer's RG after Nadal's only loss to Soderling, Federer's breaking Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and amazing finish by Del Potro and Davydenko
2008 was Djokovic's first slam, Nadal's clay domination, epic Wimbledon final
2007 had Federer's vintage AO win, competitive RG and Wimbledon finals, strong Federer's run at the USO
2006 had Federer's peak where only Nadal was able to stop him from winning the Grand Slam + WTF
2005 was Nadal's breakthrough year, Safin's greatest win, Federer's domination, Agassi's great swan song at the USO, Nalbandian's miracle at the WTF
2004 was Federer's first prime year, crazy RG final, Kuerten's swan song
2003 was Federer's breakthrough year, Roddick's USO win
2002 was Sampras' historical USO win and retirement, Hewitt domination

...I have to go back as far as 2001 to find a year that is as boring as 2014. And in 2001 there was Ivanisevic's Wimbledon miracle, which 2014 cannot match.

So is 2014 the weakest, weirdest season since 2001?

This.. rafa needed to win that AO 2014 final completing epic double career slam, and not be injured for USO and WTF to make things more interesting for the season.

Murray needed to recover earlier from sugery to be at full force for wimbledon.

 

[Cesc Fabregas]

Crappy year

 

[Chico]

LOL so many butthurt Fedal fanboys.

2014 is a great year indeed. Continuation of Novak domination and rightful rule of the tennis world, despite of him being distracted by his wedding and birth of his first child.

 

[tennisaddict]

PeRFect, Fedrer lost Wimbledon final, lost YE#1, lost WTFs and will lose the DC final as well! LOL

 

[willhunting]

LOL so many butthurt Fedal fanboys.

2104 is a great year indeed. Continuation of Novak domination and rightful rule of the tennis world, despite of him being distracted by his wedding and birth of his first child.

Do you know something that we don't...?

 

[Netspirit]

^ He is saying Djokovic's wedding was the highlight of this season.

 

[SpicyCurry1990]

How does that relate to what was said about 2014?

Fed stated point blank when asked about his goals:

Win a slam
Get back to world #1
The WTF at the end of the year are a huge deal to me
Winning Davis Cup for the First

So far he is 0/3 and might end up 0/4...in a season where his win %, titles won, and finals reached are on par or better than any outside of his 04-07 peak years (and above the year he was Nole's age on all 3 accounts so don't bring up age again) so obviously he was playing well and just came up short on all accounts.

As for TC lol haters going to hate. TWO new slam winners which has not happened since 2003 signaling the end of domination by the big 4 coupled with Nadal continuing to hold court at RG and Nole winning the least likely of the 4 slams for him is plenty of a storyline. Just butt devastation Fed isn't involved.

 

[Deleted member 716271]

How does that relate to what was said about 2014?

Fed stated point blank when asked about his goals:

Win a slam
Get back to world #1
The WTF at the end of the year are a huge deal to me
Winning Davis Cup for the First

So far he is 0/3 and might end up 0/4...in a season where his win %, titles won, and finals reached are on par or better than any outside of his 04-07 peak years (and above the year he was Nole's age on all 3 accounts so don't bring up age again) so obviously he was playing well and just came up short on all accounts.

As for TC lol haters going to hate. TWO new slam winners which has not happened since 2003 signaling the end of domination by the big 4 coupled with Nadal continuing to hold court at RG and Nole winning the least likely of the 4 slams for him is plenty of a storyline. Just butt devastation Fed isn't involved.

Do you think Novak will win 2+ slams in 2015? He's been predicted to win many slams since 2011 but won only 1 per year.

However, I somehow feel like he truly does have a great shot next year.

 

[SpicyCurry1990]

Do you think Novak will win 2+ slams in 2015? He's been predicted to win many slams since 2011 but won only 1 per year.

However, I somehow feel like he truly does have a great shot next year.

Like you said its hard to peg him to win 2+ when he had his chances and failed to do so these last two years. 2012 was just simply too strong of a year to expect it to happen. Nadal is RG GOAT and Fed is Wimb GOAT and both played very well at those slams those years and there was too much going against him at USO vs Murray (wind, rest, etc...) to expect him to complete the comeback.

But in 2013 he should have won either RG or USO and in 2014, he had his chances at all 3 of AO, USO, and FO and probably should have won 1.

So as of now I would LIKE to say he will win 2 as he does have a great shot, but its tough to forecast it as such. I think it will largely depend on if he can finally break Nadal at RG as I think he will win a Hard Court Slam for sure next year as I can't see him come up empty at the hards two years in a row.

 

[abmk]

How does that relate to what was said about 2014?

Fed stated point blank when asked about his goals:

Win a slam
Get back to world #1
The WTF at the end of the year are a huge deal to me
Winning Davis Cup for the First

So far he is 0/3 and might end up 0/4...in a season where his win %, titles won, and finals reached are on par or better than any outside of his 04-07 peak years (and above the year he was Nole's age on all 3 accounts so don't bring up age again) so obviously he was playing well and just came up short on all accounts.

As for TC lol haters going to hate. TWO new slam winners which has not happened since 2003 signaling the end of domination by the big 4 coupled with Nadal continuing to hold court at RG and Nole winning the least likely of the 4 slams for him is plenty of a storyline. Just butt devastation Fed isn't involved.

yeah, maybe , just maybe, his win%, titles won etc are higher than his peak years because its a weak year ...he's been consistent, but hardly hit peak level ...

anyone who has their eyes open and actually can judge tennis level would clearly see all of his 2008-12 years were quite clearly superior in terms of quality to 2014.

 

[eldanger25]

Just a very disjointed feeling to the season - on the one hand, you had Murray out of sorts all year, and Nadal and Del Potro's customary injury problems. On the other, you had a rotating cast of characters, none of whom really managed to hang at or near the top for longer than a small patch. Stan, then Nishikori and Ernie G. for a minute, then Dimitrov/Raonic, then Tsonga for half a second, then Nishikori again plus Cilic - it was like a slot machine.

Not a true status quo season, but also not a full changing of the guard year either. I could see 2015 going right back to a Djokovic/Nadal sumo match as the true next generation of contenders (the teenagers) grapple with the weight of a full season on tour.

Still, lots of great individual moments across the season - like every year.

 

[Bartelby]

It's possible that the Davis Cup will prove to be the real hero of the year.

 

[NatF]

2001 wasn't a boring year. At least at the slam level the Wimbledon and USO tournaments were great with a ton of classic matches.

 

[bullfan]

Perfect, Fedrer lost Wimbledon final, lost YE#1, lost WTFs and will lose the DC final as well! LOL

I wouldn't say DC is a forgone conclusion.

 

[90's Clay]

Underwhelming. Fed's wussy withdrawal just capped off an underwhelming year. Usually when Nadal is out things aren't that interesting.. USO was probably the most interesting time of the year just to see Cilic peak for a few weeks. Other than that it was mainly the Djokovic show.. Which is alright but it does get boring when one guy wins most tourneys..

AO was alright but Nadal's injury screwed it up in the final for being a great major. RG was good but the ending was never in doubt. Wimbledon was a good final but pretty boring overall. USO was fun but sucked not having Nadal there. WTF sucked

 

[willhunting]

Underwhelming. Fed's wussy withdrawal just capped off an underwhelming year. Usually when Nadal is out things aren't that interesting.. USO was probably the most interesting time of the year just to see Cilic peak for a few weeks

Is this the most exciting moment of your life? You're really going nuts today in regards to the epic poasts:roll:.

 

[Gary Duane]

Very disappointing season for the former Big Four, very encouraging for the future, some young Guns finally winning early.

I think it's a "changing of the guard" that we are seeing.

Surprisingly weak playing over all for younger players who are not REALLY young, and a rather boring dominance of late 20s and early 30s players who simply are not good enough ever to reach the very top.

 

[Gary Duane]

Do you think Novak will win 2+ slams in 2015? He's been predicted to win many slams since 2011 but won only 1 per year.

I don't think he can do it in 2016 or 2017, but I think he has a good chance next year. Murray is now weak, we don't know about Nadal yet (injuries, unkowns), and Fed will be 34. Unless there is more unpredictable zoning of players like Cilic and Wawrinka, I think there are good reasons for Novak fans to be hopeful.

 

[Gonzo_style]

What, it's your birthday or something? I wish you all the best, hope you can enjoy France's DC win on Sunday :lol:

 

[veroniquem]

What's interesting about 2014 is that 2 non big 4 players won a slam.
But overall, the big 4 (sorry, 3) retained their domination with Nadal winning his 9th RG title (!), Fed winning 2 masters and making 5 other big finals including a slam's and Djoko conclusively pocketing #1 with 6 big titles + another slam final.
The seasons I find most boring are usually the ones when nobody clearly dominates, nobody wins more than 1 or 2 big events (2001 is a good example)

 

[SpicyCurry1990]

yeah, maybe , just maybe, his win%, titles won etc are higher than his peak years because its a weak year ...he's been consistent, but hardly hit peak level ...

anyone who has their eyes open and actually can judge tennis level would clearly see all of his 2008-12 years were quite clearly superior in terms of quality to 2014.

So we should go based on your fed tinted subjective glasses based on "level" as opposed to using objective metrics?

And if its such a weak year, why was Fed unable to win a slam and losing to "weak era" players Cilic and Gulbis in slams inspite of those win %, titles, and finals?

 

[John6239]

LOL so many butthurt Fedal fanboys.

2014 is a great year indeed. Continuation of Novak domination and rightful rule of the tennis world, despite of him being distracted by his wedding and birth of his first child.

Actually I would think a Djokovic fans would be disappointed that for the last 3 years since Djokovic breakthrough in 2011, he has only won one slam a year and didn't make the final of the US Open nor semi of Australian Open.

 

[kOaMaster]

What's interesting about 2014 is that 2 non big 4 players won a slam.
But overall, the big 4 (sorry, 3) retained their domination with Nadal winning his 9th RG title (!), Fed winning 2 masters and making 5 other big finals including a slam's and Djoko conclusively pocketing #1 with 6 big titles + another slam final.
The seasons I find most boring are usually the ones when nobody clearly dominates, nobody wins more than 1 or 2 big events (2001 is a good example)

I'm with you here.

 

[The Green Mile]

Not too bad....Feds resurgance from 2013, 2 new GS winners was great to see, Rafa's extended RG dominance...

Can't wait for a really dominant player I like, to finally show up again though... How great being a fan of Rog back in 04-07 was.......*flashbacks*....

 

[Djokovic2011]

Not too bad....Feds resurgance from 2013, 2 new GS winners was great to see, Rafa's extended RG dominance...

Can't wait for a really dominant player I like, to finally show up again though... How great being a fan of Rog back in 04-07 was.......*flashbacks*....

You should start liking Novak a bit more! :razz:

 

[6august]

In deed, 2014 is great year for true fans of the sport. We have 2 new Grand slam champions for the first time in many years. We have the greatest Wimbledon final - the most prestigious major - since 2008. We still have the chance to watch the GOAT showing his unique and elegant tennis...

 

[The Green Mile]

You should start liking Novak a bit more! :razz:

Lol, we will see.... I am looking foward to RG next year though and will be rooting for Novak there (besides Federer of course, imagine if Novak beat Rafa in the semi and lost to Roger in the final, lmfao!).....

 

[JRAJ1988]

2014 nowhere as good as 2011 or 2012 or 2013 but still there's been some great highlights.

1. Good to see Djokovic win Wimbledon and reclaim Number 1!
2. Federer's resurgence
3. Wawrinka great start/fades away
4. Nadal wins French through really odd form
5. Murray's struggles (As a fan this didn't go down well with me)
6. Cilic's awesome US Open win
7. Nishikori and Dimitrov breaking through.

I feel underwhelmed by this season, I wanted more but maybe the WTF's gave me this notion..

 

[Deleted member 307496]

Many different winners make the year more exciting, and the fact that they are some of our favorites we have wanted to break through for a long time, like Wawrinka and Cilic. Nishikori has also made a breakthrough and it will be interesting following him into 2015. Djokovic's performance at the WTF was an exciting finish to the year, and meaning that Djokovic may perhaps be more dominant next year.

 

[Goosehead]

borna coric, alexander zverev, nick kygrios: appeared on the scene in 2014. that's good.

 

[MichaelNadal]

It was ok, but the least exciting year since I started watching in 03. Bring on 2015.

 

[abmk]

So we should go based on your fed tinted subjective glasses based on "level" as opposed to using objective metrics?

And if its such a weak year, why was Fed unable to win a slam and losing to "weak era" players Cilic and Gulbis in slams inspite of those win %, titles, and finals?

like I said, because he hit his peak level rarely -- and certainly not during those losses to gulbis or cilic ....

you need to be hitting peak levels to win slams, consistency matters more for win% and the relatively lesser titles

its like wawrinka/cilic's levels in those slams vs ferrer's overall year performance ( in his best years )

here are some more "objective" metrics :

2008 - 1 slam win, 2 slam finals, 1 slam semi
2009 - 2 slam wins, 2 slam finals
2010 - 1 slam win, 1 slam semi, YEC
2011 - 1 slam final, 2 slam semis, YEC
2012 - 1 slam win, 2 slam semis

2014 - 1 slam final, 2 slam semis

get the difference ?

and if you really think his 2014 level was more than or equal to his level from 2008-12, you are downright delusional ... no other words

 

[papertank]

Just because the big 4 weren't as strong doesn't mean it wasn't a great year. This was the most volatile year in a long time.

 

[The_Mental_Giant]

Many different winners make the year more exciting, and the fact that they are some of our favorites we have wanted to break through for a long time, like Wawrinka and Cilic. Nishikori has also made a breakthrough and it will be interesting following him into 2015. Djokovic's performance at the WTF was an exciting finish to the year, and meaning that Djokovic may perhaps be more dominant next year.

2012... wins Beijing, Shangai, WTF at the end of the year... then only wins 1 slam in 2013

2013..... wins Beijing, Shangai, Paris and the WTF... yet only wins 1 slam in 2014...

2014.... wins Beijing, Paris, WTF ....... win x slams in 2015....

Djokovic has always been dominant at the end of the year in the last years... however it never translates to slam domination, he just feel more comfortable playing in low bouncing/indoor surfaces.


Funnily enough...

the only year he goes and win multiple slams (3 slams 2011)... The previous year he only won Beijing... didnt even play final in Shangai, Paris or WTF...

 

[Djokovic2011]

Dont worry Djokovic has finished well the last 3 years and he hasnt been dominant

Look the way he finished 2013 winning Beijing, Shangai, Paris and the WTF... yet he only won 1 slam in 2014...

I think you'll probably cry if Novak wins more than one Slam next year. I hope for your sake that he does.