It’s Christmas, which means it’s time (well, past time!) to ask Santa for some stuff. All tennis related, of course.
Here’s what I want in 2019.
I want the top players in the world to stay healthy for an entire season. Other than Roger Federer inevitably skipping the clay-court swing, I want all of them to play a full 10 months…10 and a half to be exact if they can all compete in the Nitto ATP Finals. That means Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka. All of ’em. Please don’t get hurt!
I want all eight of the ATP Finals qualifiers to still be healthy enough to actually play the tournament–and play the entire tournament. That means no alternates before the tournament; no alternates during the tournament. This may be our last chance to have Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Del Potro, and Murray (the latter would be overly wishful thinking) at the O2 Arena at the same time.
The O2 Arena…. That brings me to the next one. I want the ATP to announce in March that the year-end championship will stay in London through 2025. London rules.
I want John Isner to win a five-set match in all four different forms: in a 10-point tiebreaker at 6-6 in the fifth set at the Australian Open; in a played-out fifth set at the French Open (8-6 or longer); in a standard tiebreaker at 12-12 in the fifth set at Wimbledon; and in a standard tiebreaker at 6-6 in the fifth set at the U.S. Open.
I want Grigor Dimitrov to stop stinking. He’s good for the game when he’s playing well.
I want the French flair to have one last hurrah. You know…good (and healthy) campaigns for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils.
I want Dominic Thiem to win a slam. There may be only two players in history who I have proclaimed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread after the very first time I ever saw them play: Thiem and Ernests Gulbis. My Gulbis guarantee as a future world No. 1 did not exactly work out so well. Thiem, whom I’ve always said will win multiple majors (including one on something other than clay), still has time. But he needs to get going sooner rather than later. Oh, and speaking of Gulbis, I hope he can at least make it back to the top 30.
I want a youngster from North America to have a Stefanos Tsitsipas-like breakthrough (preferably Frances Tiafoe or Felix Auger-Aliassime).
I want Bob Bryan to come back and the Bryan Brothers to go out on top.
I want Nick Kyrgios to want to be good.
I want Mohamed Lahyani to keep making headlines…just not enough to get permanently suspended.
I want Miami to be awesome. Crandon Park was epic, and moving away from Key Biscayne is scary. Will the event still be just as good? I’ll find out in March….
I want the Davis Cup to be awesome. We’ll find out in November….
Lastly, I want to make some better predictions than I did in 2018… That shouldn’t be too hard to do!
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what are yours?
I’d be very happy to settle for a healthy year for Rafa. PLEASE. Just once? Moya is on it. There’s an interview with him on the Spanish ATP site. Wants shorter practices and more aggressive play. (Lucky will be happy to hear that.)
Yes, I’d love all of our top stars to stay healthy…for our sake as fans of the game but mostly for their sake…and I’d love the new Miami venue to be really good…..good luck to James Blake and his Miami team!
Top guys to be healthy. I also want Murray back. I want Roger to play clay and reach the QF of RG.
I want Miami to be even better than Indian Wells . Its usually a bit of a disappointment coming so close after it .Hope its a faster hardcourt .
All players to be injury free .
Fed to win one more Wimbledon in a decent year that means he’ll decide to play one more year and retire at the end of 2020.
Also Fed to play in the doubles and win a Slam or two.
Murray to get back to his best and win a Slam , most likely the US Open .
As for Nadal, hope he plays more aggressive and have a decent year but hope he gets challenged more on clay as he wins that inevitable RG Title.
I hope we get at least one new Slam winner , one of the young guns like Zverev or Tsitsipas wins a Slam maybe even the upcoming AO. Or an oldie like Anderson .
Ive picked my Slam wishlist there.
Fed to play DOUBLES? At Laver Cup maybe – but hey, what’s a wish list for if not for asking for the impossible? And if he’d play with Jack Sock they could win ALL the majors! That would keep the Bryans from going out on top tho.
Nick Kyrgios will win the Australian Open 2019.
LOL
Rafa and Murray both to win GS next year, and that crummy forum called Tennis-Xtra to dissapear up its own wotsit once and for all lol ….
I want Nole to win any slams that Rafa doesn’t.
Seasons Greetings!
A minor addition to my wish list is for Nole to win the Nole Slam again…
I forgot he’s already halfway towards it.
I Want Rafa and Murray to win the GS between them ….
I wish for Rafa to win the channel slams, after having being so close of reaching the final at Wimbledon in 2018; of course winning at the AO and/or USO too will be superb. I don’t place much hope on Rafa winning the AO, iin his present conditions. Its regrettable that ten years after winning his one and only AO, he’s still not in tip top conditions to win one more AO title.
I hope Dimi or any of the young guns wins at a slam (or two) where Rafa fails to win.
Nick Kyrigios is a fantastic player with alot of talent and potential, but lacks the self discipline and work ethic needed to win 7 3 set matches, but with the right coach and mind set, it could all be very different, hes his own worst enemy ….
Not too much domination from any one particular player ….
I want Rafa to stay healthy in 2019 and win two slams! I want Rafa to beat Novak in the GS final!
I want Zverev to win a slam this year! I want Federer to keep playing! He is great for the sport!