Sportskeeda Tennis Awards 2014: Players of the Year - Male

2014 has been an incredible year for tennis. We saw two new Grand Slam champions crowned in the form of Stanislas Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, who won the Australian Open and U.S Open respectively.Rafael Nadal continued his domination at Roland Garros, while Novak Djokovic finished the year as the No. 1 player after winning his second Wimbledon title. Roger Federer made an excellent comeback after having a disappointing season in 2013.A lot of youngsters challenged the Top 5 players on a regular basis.Here is our list of the Top 5 players of 2014.

#5 Kei Nishikori

Kei Nishikori has had a marvellous season on court in 2014. He broke a lot of records this year. He became the first Japanese man to break into the top 10, the first Asian to ever reach a Grand Slam final and also the first Asian to participate in the ATP World Tour Finals.

He reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, losing to Rafael Nadal in a tight three-setter. His breakthrough performance came at the Mutua Madrid Open where he reached the finals. He had to withdraw halfway through the finals due to an injury against Nadal.

He reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the U.S Open after defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Marin Cilic proved too tough for him as he lost in straight sets to the Croat. He also reached the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals.

Summary

Grand Slams – Finalist at U.S Open.

ATP Masters 1000 Series – Finalist at Madrid.

ATP 500 – 2 (Barcelona and Tokyo).

Semifinalist at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

#4 Stan Wawrinka

Stanislas Wawrinka has finally come out of the shadow and has shown everyone what he is truly capable of. He has had some brilliant results this year.

He could not have asked for a better start to the year as he went on to clinch his maiden Grand Slam at Melbourne where he defeated Rafael Nadal in four sets. His brilliant form continued as he battled on to defeat his compatriot Roger Federer for the first time in his career at the Monte-Carlo Masters final.

He reached his first ever Wimbledon quarter-final where he lost to Federer in four sets. He also reached the quarter-finals of the U.S Open. He reached the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time ever where he failed to convert five match points against Federer.

Summary

Grand Slams – 1 (Australian Open)

ATP Masters 1000 Series – 1 (Monte-Carlo)

Semifinalist at Barclays ATP Tour Finals

Davis Cup Winner

#3 Rafael Nadal

Many people might find it surprising to find Rafael Nadal on this list, but even though he missed the last couple of months due to injury, he has been in brilliant form throughout the season.

Nadal started off the year well by reaching the final of the Australian Open where he lost to Stan Wawrinka in four sets. His good form continued as he won the Madrid Masters and clinched his ninth French Open title.

He was stopped in Wimbledon by a 19-year-old teenager Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round. After Wimbledon, his injuries got the better of him which made him sit out for almost the rest of the season.

Summary

Grand Slams – 1 ( French Open)

ATP Masters 1000 Series – 1 (Madrid)

ATP 500 – 1 (Rio)

#2 Roger Federer

What an incredible year it has been for the Swiss Maestro. After having an extremely disappointing season on court in 2013, no one expected him to bounce back the way he has in 2014. He finishes second on this list of the top five players in 2014.

Federer lost to his arch rival Nadal in the semifinals at the Australian Open in straight sets. His French Open campaign also ended on a poor note after losing to Ernests Gulbis in the fourth round. He made amends at Wimbledon where he lost an epic five set match against Novak Djokovic.

Even though he did not win any Grand Slam, his performance at the ATP 1000 and 500 Masters was incredible. He won the most matches on the tour this year.

Summary

Grand Slams – Runner-up at Wimbledon

ATP Masters 1000 Series – 2 (Cincinnati, Shanghai)

ATP 500 – 2 (Basel, Dubai)

Runner-up at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Davis Cup Winner

#1 Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic continues to top the list of the best player of the year after having an incredible season in 2014. He carried his form from 2013 into 2014, which could be seen early on in the year.

Australian Open might not have gone according to plan for the World no. 1, but he bounced back from his semifinal loss to win two Masters 1000 series in a row before the French Open. He lost to Nadal in the French Open final, but bounced back to defeat Federer at the Wimbledon final.

He ended the year as the World no .1 after retaining his title at the ATP World Tour Finals in London for the third consecutive time.

Summary

Grand Slams – 1 ( Wimbledon )

ATP Masters 1000 Series – 4 (Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Paris)

ATP 500 tournaments – 1 (China Open)

Winner of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals