2016 IN NUMBERS

Published 12/19/2016, 9:29 AM EST

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2016 has turned out to be one of the most significant years of this decade, probably the most significant since 2008- when the castle of a particular crafty Swiss was jolted and the world witnessed a new force rise to the top of the table, after 237 weeks. This time it was a Serbian force, that made way for the greatest British athlete to reach the sporting pinnacle, giving the viewers much to look forward to in 2017, after couple of monotonous  years.

Speaking of that crafty Swiss and the man who dislodged him from the top, it’s been a hard year for them too. Struggling with injuries and forms, both called off their seasons abruptly, naturally creating turmoil amongst the biggest fan bases of our game- one of the reasons for this long and torturing wait for the 2017 season.

This year has witnessed everything, from seeing the mighty Williams receive the silver plate at the maiden Grand Slam, to welcoming back the loved Tower of Tandil and applauding his journey to the podium of the Olympics. Mourning for one Swiss at Wimbledon to celebrating the success of another at Flushing Meadows. And the latest? The arrival of a veteran Spanish number one to the team of El Matador (The Uncle still remains though).

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For a year comprising of such interesting turn of events, here’s everything associated to it, ranging from one to ten. So sit and look back!

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Out of top TEN

For the first time since 2002, Roger Federer’s name was not to be seen in the top 10 of the ATP list. The seventeen time Grand Slam champion had a rather rough and probably the toughest year of his career, finally giving in to injuries and missing a major- Roland Garros. He then called off his season before the Olympics, following his semifinal defeat at Wimbledon.

Ranked 16 now, Federer is eyeing a comeback on January 2, 2017 in the Hopman Cup. Oh, not to forget, Federer failed to win a single title in a calendar year, for the first time since 2000. Missing the good old days? We bet his comeback won’t disappoint. In Roger, we trust.

 

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Nostalgic NINE

The nine time French Open champion, Rafa Nadal failed to make any significant contention for major trophies this year. Bowing out of his backyard at Paris due to a wrist injury, the only silver lining of Rafa’s 2016 was his gold medal in doubles at Rio. The Spaniard has been on a road to regain his lost footing in the tennis world and has finally made some changes to his team.

Nadal has brought in Carlos Moya, the former world number one and former doubles partner. Toni Nadal would still be an integral part of the Spaniard’s team. Wishing Rafa a great recovery and a successful season ahead.

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Elusive EIGHT

Novak Djokovic became the eighth man in history to complete the Career Grand Slam , by winning the French Open, beating Andy Murray in process. The Serb won 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to win his 12th major title and become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams at once.

“This has been the tricky one for Djokovic but he has come out and played some great tennis. He’s rock solid, he knows his game so well and he’s mentally focused. From where he started off in this match to where he finished, what a contrast, and it just goes to show how great a champion he is.” – Pat Cash

 

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Monfils secures SEVENTH

Gael Monfils had undoubtedly the best year of his career, finishing seventh in the rankings after reaching career high sixth spot this year. He was ranked 24 at the end of 2015. He finished with an impressive 44-17 record this year.

Another remarkable stat has been his break point conversion rate, increasing by a staggering five percent this year compared to his career average. He converted a mind-blowing 53.8 per cent of his break points on clay. Rafael Nadal is the career leader at converting break points on clay, at 48.8 per cent.

 

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Scintillating SIXTH 

What a remarkable year it has been for this lofty Canadian! Milos Raonic was named Tennis Canada’s male player of the year for the straight sixth time in 2016.

After rising from 14th to a career-high third in the world, he made productive progress this year by debuting at Wimbledon final as well as performing consistently throughout the tour. Raonic completed his best season on the ATP World Tour.

At the Wimbledon final he lost to Andy Murray. He beat Swiss star Roger Federer to win the Brisbane title. Also reaching six other semifinals, including the Australian Open and ATP World Tour Finals. Raonic ended 2016 with a win-loss record of 52-17.

 

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Fantastic FIVE

Another woman made her debut on the top of the WTA tree, Angelique Kerber. She featured in 5 of the biggest finals this year (AO, Wimbledon, Olympics, US Open and WTA Finals) ; winning in Melbourne and New York and sealing the number one ranking. The 28 year old also won the Silver medal in Rio.

Kerber made a remarkable start to the season, drawing eyeballs by her unreal run to the Australian Open title and tremendous display against Serena in the finals. She only grew in confidence from that point of time and ended up as runner up in the WTA Finals. A strong 2017 looks on the cards!

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Streak of FOUR

Novak Djokovic joined Rod Laver and Don Budge as the only men to hold all four majors at the same time, something that his arch rivals and arguably the greatest, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal failed to do. Djokovic won his first French Open by beating Andy Murray 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 and clinching 4th consecutive Grand Slam title.

“It’s a very special moment, possibly the biggest moment in my career,” the 29-year-old said after the match.

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Tremendous THIRD

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Stan the man. Three major finals and three trophies. The powerhouse from Switzerland proved yet again that he is the closest and fiercest rival to the dominating forces of the game, winning the US OPEN and en route defeating Novak Djokovic, yet again. Many critics called his 2015 French Open win over the Serb a one-off thing and Wawrinka just shattered all their doubts like he shattered Novak’s defence. Having beaten only one top 10 player the entire season, Stan was again pinned as the underdog entering the final. And having lost the first set, again, Stan found himself in a familiar position and unleashed a dazzling array of shots to light up the crowd, wrapping a four set win over the Serb. At 31, he is the oldest US Open Champ since 1970.

“This is amazing. I came here without expectation …I am completely empty now, I had to bring everything against Novak. There was so much emotion, thank you so much.”  

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Sensational SECOND

Andy Murray is arguably the greatest British Sportsperson ever. A testament to this statement was the latest poll carrier out by Telegraph Sport. An exhaustive search blended the votes of almost 7,000 Telegraph subscribers with the input of our correspondents and 13 sporting experts – Ryan Giggs, Michael Vaughan, Baroness Grey-Thompson, James Cracknell and Denise Lewis among them. When the ballot papers were counted, Murray was the clear winner.

The new world number one enjoyed his greatest season this year and winning the Olympic Gold for the second consecutive time was probably his biggest achievement. He is now the first player ever to successfully defend his Singles Olympic gold by defeating Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in a four hour long epic finale. Murray is also now the first male player to win two Olympic gold medals in singles, something that even the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are yet to achieve.

With back to back wins at Queen’s, Wimbledon, China, Shanghai, Vienna, BNP Paribas Open and ATP World Tour Finals, Murray did the unthinkable and overtook Djokovic despite the massive gap between them.

This marks the most dramatic finish to an ATP World Tour season. 

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FIRST Davis Cup

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2016 has been no short of a fairy tale for the gentle giant, Juan Martin del Portro. After struggling with a recurring injury, Delpo made a remarkable comeback this year and inspired his team to their first ever Davis Cup title.

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The Croats were leading 2-1 in the best-of-five-series after winning the doubles and entering the reverse singles. That’s when Del Potro turned the tables and rallied from two sets down to beat Marin Cilic 6-7 (4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 as Argentina drew level at 2-2.  Federico Delbonis then swept past Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to complete the historic win.

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Apart from this scintillating final, the match of the tournament came in the semifinals, in the rematch of the Olympic finale. This time it was the Argentine who came out with the win. Del Potro won 6-4 5-7 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 after five hours and seven minutes.

One remarkable journey it has been for Del Potro and the world surely awaits his second Grand Slam title. Here’s wishing a happy and exciting new year filled with extraordinary tennis!

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Written by:

Sameer Bharti

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Watches tennis, cricket and football. Mostly tennis.
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