Sportskeeda Tennis Awards 2014: Achievements of the Year - Male

We witnessed many epic matches in 2014. The top three players did not have it easy against players ranked below them. There were a few upsets at the Grand Slams and young players stamped their authority on the big stage. The year also saw some outstanding performances from individuals who raised the bar to a whole new level with terrific tennis.It was a tough choice to come up with five best achievements of the year. Feel free to express your opinion in the comments section below if you think we missed out on any major achievement.

#5 Kei Nishikori - becoming first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final

The Asian No. 1 had the best season of his career on the ATP tour. He won three titles – Barcelona, Malaysian Open and the Japan Open. Nishikori was at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he led Rafael Nadal by a set and a break before being brought down by injury.

However, Nishikori’s breakthrough performance came at Flushing Meadows where he beat Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round and quarterfinals respectively in five-set thrillers.

He went on to beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in four sets to become the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final. He lost the final to Marin Cilic in straight sets.

The Japanese also reached the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. By virtue of reaching the semifinals, he became the first Asian player to qualify for the ATP World Tour finals.

He reached his career high ranking of 5 this year.

#4 Marin Cilic - defeating Federer en route to winning maiden Grand Slam title

After being out of the sport for close to six months, Marin Cilic made a superb comeback this year. After losing in the second round at Melbourne, he reached the third round and quarterfinals at French Open and Wimbledon respectively, losing to Novak Djokovic on both occasions.

He was tested by Gilles Simon in the fourth round at the U.S Open, but came through it in five sets. The Croat then beat Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer in straight sets to advance to his first Grand Slam final. Cilic beat Kei Nishikori comfortably to win the U.S Open and qualified for the ATP World Tour finals for the first time.

#3 Roger Federer - getting to No. 2 at the age of 33, and winning Davis Cup

Roger Federer had a resurgent 2014 season winning five titles on the ATP tour – Dubai, Halle Open, Cincinnati Masters, Shanghai Masters and his home tournament in Basel. The Swiss ace also reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon after two years. His impressive showing meant that Federer climbed all the way back to No. 2 in the rankings; he even had a shot at ending the year ranked No. 1.

The icing on the cake for the 17-time Grand Slam champion was winning the Davis Cup title for the first time in his career. He helped Switzerland beat France 3-1 after beating Richard Gasquet in the fourth rubber at Lille. He registered the most match wins in 2014.

#2 Stan Wawrinka - winning Australian Open and Davis Cup

The Swiss No. 2 won his first Grand Slam beating Rafael Nadal in four sets at the Australian Open. He went on to win his first ATP 1000 Masters title at Monte Carlo after overcoming his compatriot Roger Federer in a closely contested final.

Wawrinka also played a crucial role in Switzerland winning the Davis Cup for the first time by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets. He then partnered Roger Federer to win the doubles tie, thus ending a remarkable year for him.

#1 Rafael Nadal - winning record-breaking 9th French Open title

The World No. 3 won his ninth French Open title beating Novak Djokovic in four sets. He is the only person to win more than seven Majors at the same venue. The Spaniard equalled Pete Samprass Grand Slam tally of 14 with this win.

He won the Mutua Madrid Open after Kei Nishikori retired from the final in the third set. He missed the U.S Open due to a wrist injury.