The year that was
Let’s look back at this eventful, exciting and often surprising year and see if you agree with how I saw the bests and worsts of vintage 2018.
Best men’s player: Spectacular results in the second half of the year gave a resurgent Novak Djokovic a decisive edge over French Open champion Rafael Nadal and Australian Open titlist Roger Federer. Djokovic captured Wimbledon, his first major title in more than two years, and the US Open to tie Pete Sampras for third place with 14 Grand Slam singles titles. The 31-year-old Serb also became the first player to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events when he captured Cincinnati.
Best women’s player: No. 1-ranked Simona Halep won three titles — the French Open, Montreal and Shenzhen — and reached three more finals at the Australian Open, Rome and Cincinnati. Her 80.7 per cent match-winning percentage (46-11) led the tour in 2018. Angelique Kerber comes in second thanks to winning Wimbledon and Sydney and reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, Dubai and Eastbourne. Naomi Osaka peaked brilliantly to capture the US Open and Indian Wells to grab third place.
Best Grand Slam men’s match I:
Novak Djokovic’s 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6, 10-8 epic victory over Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon semifinals treated mesmerised spectators with terrific shot-making and mind-boggling rallies for five hours and 15 minutes. As the long-time rivals walked off Centre Court, both players received a standing ovation. “I’m just overwhelmed,” Djokovic told the BBC afterwards. “These kind of matches you live for, you live for.”
Best Grand Slam men’s match II: Like two great boxers exchanging heavyweight punches for 12 rounds, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem slugged it out for four hours and 49 minutes as spectators often rose to their feet after the most exciting points. The unforgettable US Open quarterfinals last until 2.04 a.m. when Nadal finally prevailed 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5). “I’m sad for him,” said the always-gracious Nadal. “It’s cruel sometimes, tennis, because I think this match didn’t really deserve a loser. But there has to be one.” Chris Evert, a 1970s-80s superstar, called it “the greatest men’s match that I’ve ever seen.”
Best Grand Slam women’s match:
“Well, definitely was very tough. I’m shaking now — I’m really emotional,” said Simona Halep, equally overjoyed and relieved after converting her fourth match point against a dogged Angelique Kerber for a 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 victory in the Australian Open semifinals. “I’m really glad that I could resist. I had two match [point] balls, and I lost them. Today I was like a roller coaster — up and down — [but] I had confidence in myself.” Both warriors had chances to serve out the match, and both staved off match points in long, engrossing rallies in the riveting, two-hour-and-20-minute duel.
Best men’s Grand Slam upsets: Australian journeyman John Millman upset his “hero” and five-time champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3) at the US Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I’m probably in a little bit of disbelief,” said Millman after his first win over a top-10 player. World No. 72 Marco Cecchinato, who had never won a Grand Slam match before the French Open, shocked 2016 champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-6 (11) to become the lowest-ranked Roland Garros semifinalist since world No. 100 Andrei Medvedev in 1999. Argentina’s Guido Pella handed 2017 runner-up and third-seeded Marin Cilic a 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5 loss in the Wimbledon second round. Pella had never won a main-draw match at Wimbledon until 2018. Tennys Sandgren, who had never defeated a top-10 opponent, stunned Dominic Thiem 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-3 in the Australian Open fourth round.
Best women’s Grand Slam upsets: Kaia Kanepi, a 33-year-old Estonian, shocked Simona Halep 6-2, 6-4, making it the first time in the Open Era that the No. 1 women’s seed lost in the first round at the US Open. No. 202-ranked Karolina Muchova upset two-time major titlist Garbine Muguruza 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open second round. Belarus’s Aliaksandra Sasnovich hit 30 winners and stunned two-time champion Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the Wimbledon first round. Heavily-favoured Kvitova had come into Wimbledon with a 38-7 record, while Sasnovich, who has never advanced past the second round at a major, went on to reach the fourth round before falling to Jelena Ostapenko. Ostapenko was upset 7-5, 6-3 by Kateryna Kozlova, the 66th-ranked Ukrainian, to become the first reigning Roland Garros champion to fall in the first round since 2004 champion Anastasia Myskina crashed out of the opening round 13 years ago and just the second defending champion to exit the French Open first round in 50 years.
Best all-time doubles record: Mike Bryan won a career record 18th Grand Slam doubles title when he teamed up with fellow American Jack Sock to crush Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo of Brazil, 6-3, 6-1 in the US Open final. Bryan had been tied with Australian great John Newcombe for the most Grand Slam career men’s doubles crowns. “This is not just about me,” said a modest Bryan. “There are a lot of people behind the scenes working to get this 40-year-old body on the court. This has been a magical run. I am going to soak this one in and enjoy it. It was a lot of fun today. I need to thank Jack. He brought the youth and the big guns to the table today.”
Best women’s doubles team: The Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova claimed the WTA World No. 1 doubles ranking on October 22 for the first time in their careers. Krejcikova and Siniakova, both 22 years old, become the