By Bob Stockton
If the second half of 2016 is anything to go by there are going to be big changes at the top in tennis this year. Over the last decade, the status quo have dominated the ATP tour but things are changing and now a new era is approaching fast. Below are my 2017 men’s tennis predictions.
Roger Federer
One of the best Bookmaker Offers, in my opinion, is to back Roger Federer to win his 18th ATP title. The former world number one is still hungry for success which was on show after making his comeback match after being out for half a year. The player was extremely emotional after the match and loved every second of it. With such passion, it would be stupid to not back one of the greatest of all-time to make the impossible. His left knee is fully recovered after undergoing surgery and with a few games under his belt, he will be a force again.
Andy Murray
2016 was Andy Murray’s year and he was head and shoulders above everyone. After taking the top stop from Djokovic he will be looking to cement his place at the very top of the ranking and it is hard to see him not achieving it. In his way are Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka but the Scottish player should be able to win enough games to keep up his spot at the world number one.
ATP Masters
Since 2011 the ATP Masters Series has been dominated by the top four players. Out of 54 tournaments, the titles have been won by the same big four players and the last time someone won the title was back in 2014. Both Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Wawrinka managed to win one each and this year I predict that one will be won by a player that is not ranked in the top four places.
Boris Becker
It would be a surprise not to see Boris Becker back coaching one of the world’s best players once again. It is likely that the German superstar will be back coaching before the start of Wimbledon. He was great at coaching former world number one Djokovic for three years and during this time he helped him to amass six Grand Slams.
There are many world-class tennis players who would jump at the chance to have Becker as their coach Djokovic may even be tempted to hire his services again to try to get back to his dominant form. They parted ways on good terms and it makes sense that they would once again join forces to help him try to regain the world number one ranking. If that does not come to fruition then one player that would be perfect for Becker’s coaching is 19-year-old Zverev. The fellow German is now ranked 24th in the world and has the potential to make great things in the sport. With Becker’s coaching, it would help improve the player and he would stand a great chance of breaking into the top five under his tuition.
