Asian swing: Ten players that need to perform

Last year Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic avoided bad early-round losses, consistently appeared in finals and reliably brought their best tennis to the big stage. This year, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal aside, we’ve seen a serious lack consistent performers.

With so many injuries to big names in the men’s game, and a lack of star power on the women’s side, the door has been left wide open for a player to make their mark. There’s a few that have been tracking nicely but need to finish off strong; several players have enjoyed good years but need to a big title to elevate that to ‘great’; and some have just had the year from hell and need to see a ‘W’ next to their name so they can go into 2018 with some sort of momentum.

From the China Open to the Shanghai Masters to the WTA Finals in Singapore, the forthcoming Asian hard court swing is the setting for everyone to finalise their 2017 narrative.

So who needs to perform? Lets take a deeper look…

Fantasy Tennis League: who are you picking for the Asian swing? 

The ‘Cherry On Top’ Tier

Sloane Stephens

Coming off a US Open championship and 15-2 record since Toronto, Stephens has been enjoying the fruits of her labour with Jimmy Kimmel Live appearances and Sports Illustrated interviews. Now she needs to back it up to prove she’s not just another woman who caught fire at the right time. Four of Sloane’s titles to-date have been in America and she’s only made the quarterfinal of an Asian tournament once in her career. She also missed the entire Asian swing last year and has only played 20 matches this year (for comparison, Caroline Wozniacki has played 67), so while everyone’s favourite press conference star is being rightfully lauded, there are still a few boxes to tick before she can kick her feet up and relax.

Garbine Muguruza

I’m very bullish on Garbi. In fact, I think she’s got potential for 5+ Grand Slams. But her break out year is not a break out year just yet. She needs to win (at least) one more title. For all the consistency and maturity the 23-year-old has displayed, she’s only won two so far. In a tour where no one is particularly reliable, Muguruza is always a lock to go deep into a tournament – but is that enough? The Spaniard closed out the season very poorly last year, if she goes trophy-less again or loses her No.1 ranking then I think we might have to strike a line through the ‘next big thing’ moniker.

Alexander Zverev

The world No.4 is 20, so probably a bit harsh, but such are the expectations of Alexander Zverev. And if it weren’t for his terrible second-round bomb at the US Open he wouldn’t be on this list. Zverev will play in the Laver Cup this weekend where he gets to team up with the men everyone predicts he will succeed. Win or lose, Sascha will learn a lot just by being in Roger and Rafa’s presence, and he’ll want to translate that experience into titles in Asia. He’s traditionally struggled to close out years and given his age that is to be expected; a title or final in Beijing or Shanghai would prove that he really has taken the leap this year.

Related: Who will finish up as the GOAT, Roger or Rafa? Let’s debate!

The ‘I’m Better Than My Ranking And I Need To Prove It’ Tier

Karolina Pliskova

Normally 46-13 and three titles is a job well done but Pliskova’s lack of Grand Slam success (she only made one semifinal) or Premier 5 tournaments prevents it. The Czech reached world No.1 this year but could only hold it for a bit over a month, and has now slipped to No.4. She just fired coach David Kotyza, saying the pair weren’t on the same page for “the strategy of my further development” which indicates she too is frustrated by her performances to-date.

Kristina Mladenovic

Mladenovic is having one heck of a form slump. Her past eight tournaments have gone W-L-W-L-W-L-L-L-L-L-L. That’s a lot of Ls. Long term I’m not worried about the Frenchwoman because the talent and athleticism is there. She’s just in her own head right now but if you take out this horror stretch she’s an impressive 35-12. A good outing at Tokyo, Wuhan or Beijing will get her back on the right track.

Dominic Thiem

The Austrian has a nice record (44-20) and a nice ranking (No.7) but has four first-round bombs and only one title so far in 2017. He’s at the right age to be breaking out into a bona fide superstar but it just hasn’t happened. Thiem’s performances in Grand Slams have been consistently good and he seems to play his best tennis against the best players which is why I have him as a dark horse to take out the ATP World Tour Final in London. If he wins that then his year goes from a B+ to an A and will have many thinking he can be a top 2 player.

Nick Kyrgios

Despite the negative headlines Kyrgios has gotten in 2017, it’s been mainly due to injury rather than a lack of effort or poor form. In fact, if you take out forfeited losses in 2017 Nick is 27-10, which puts him top 5 in the ATP for win percentage with 73%. Kyrgios has recently opened up about his inner demons and backed it up with an inspiring five-set triumph at the Davis Cup. It feels like his profoundly honest article is just the thing the infinitely talented Aussie needs to flip his year from horror show to heart warming.

Related: Belgium to face France in the Davis Cup final

The ‘I Just Need To Win Anything To Keep My Career Afloat ‘ Tier

Angelique Kerber

Last year Angie Kerber finished the year atop the world rankings on the back of 63 match wins. So far in 2017 she is 25-18 and has dropped 13 spots to world No.14. Usually a slump from a woman approaching 30-years-old would suggest an athletic decline but that’s not really the case with Kerber; she’s just lost complete confidence in her game. Forget titles, just finishing the year with a winning record would be enough for the two-time Grand Slam champion. Her next tournament is Tokyo where she plays the woman who defeated her in the first-round of the US Open just two weeks ago.

Tomas Berdych

It looks like Berdych’s seven straight seasons inside the top 10 will come to an end in 2017. The once-consistent Czech is not striking balls with the velocity and precision we’ve all been accustomed to and is now staying afloat with professionalism and experience. After the Laver Cup he plays in Shenzen, a tournament he has won the past two years; if anything is going to save him this is it.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

See Berdych, Tomas. Since the halfway mark of 2017 Tsonga has looked tired, sore and disinterested. The former world No.5 is now No.18 and is 4-5 since his bad first-round bomb at the French Open. This is a bit surprising considering he won three titles before June. Tsonga is coming off two great Davis Cup performances to send France into the final – hopefully this can reignite his early season success.