Who will be making up the top 10 in 2018?

In 2013 L'equippe posted an article predicting their top 10 in 5 years time. 
They had it as:
1) 27 yo Dimi (at the time not a bad shout) (2) 29 yo Paire :P (3) 31 yo Murray (4) 27yo Raonic (5) 31yo Nole (6) 28yo Nishi (7) 26yo Tomic (8)
 30 yo Gulbis (9) 27yo Janowicz (10) 26yo Jack Sock. 

Now it is over to you 606v2tennis. 

Who will be at the game's summit?

1. 31 y/o Novak
2. 31 y/o Murray
3. 37 y/o Fed


the rest you can fill in......

1. Djokovic
2. Nishikori
3. Murray
4. Zverev
5. Raonic
6. Coric
7. Kokkinakis
8. Federer
9. Goffin
10. Chung

I'll say Ctrl+C the current top 10 and Ctrl+V

I will bet a £20, big bucks, that Djoko and Murray won't be 1 & 2 then.

1. Djokovic
2. Nishikori
3. Kyrgios
4. Murray
5. Goffin
6. Cilic
7. Raonic
8. Dimitrov
9. Thiem
10. Coric

Just trying to decide which of my hats I will eat if Novak, Andy & Fed are all still top tenners in 2018.......!

lags72 wrote:Just trying to decide which of my hats I will eat if Novak, Andy & Fed are all still top tenners in 2018.......!

Djokovic and Murray will be 31. Ferrer is in the top ten at 33.

Simon, F Lopez, Isner & Robredo are all in the top 20 and 30+

Considering the relative levels of Djokovic and Murray to these it is not hard to predict they would still be top ten.

Well, never say never of course.

At least one of them ? Almost certainly. Two them ? : Quite possibly. All three ... ?? I really don't think so.

When things change in sport after long periods of 'stability', it can very often all happen surprisingly quickly.

lags72 wrote:Well, never say never of course.

At least one of them ? Almost certainly. Two them ? : Quite possibly. All three ... ?? I really don't think so.

When things change in sport after long periods of 'stability', it can very often all happen surprisingly quickly.

I imagine Federer will retire before then. Djokovic and Murray I expect to still be competitive.

Only injury will stop Murray and Novak being top 10 in 2018. They will only be 31! Fed is obviously a lot more questionable but we are only looking at 2 more seasons. If he is still playing, I don't think its impossible he will still be top 10.

Well ok, hard to disagree too much with what you say there BS.

And specifically re Federer ....I only give him two more years max. I think his retirement & ranking will be very closely related - in as much as I just can't see him playing on (notwithstanding his avowed love for the game, which I don't doubt) once he falls, and stays, outside the top ten for any significant period.

Even that spell of a few months he had below the top five in 2013/14 seemed oddly surreal.

Hmm ill go with

1) Djokovic
2)Murray
3)Nishikori
4)Raonic
5)Wawrinka
6)Kyrgios
7)Dimitrov
8)Berdych (gotta hand it to his consistency)
9)Goffin
10)Sock

Zhverev and Coric to be top 20, with Anderson in there too. Fed and Nadal not there because I think theyl hang their hats up before.

Pretty similar

Oh damn I forgot about Theim. Myabe him instead of Sock or Goffin

I'm going rogue, so probably v wrong.

1) Kyrgios
2) Raonic
3) Nishi
4) Thiem
5) Djokovic
6) Kokk
7) Coric
8) Dimi
9) Stan
10) Tomic

In all seriousness though, it's trying to figure out from the current crop who has the dominance in their psyche. I am thinking:

1) Coric
2) Kyrgios
3) Thiem
4) Nishikori
5) Zverev
6) Djokovic
7) Kokkinakis
8) Murray
9) Rublev
10) Goffin

1) Bojan Pastpeak
2) Jock McDeclining
3) Fabian Stillnotretired
4) Katsumi Fragilebaki
5) Miles Servboric
6) Dan Missinglinka
7) Dick Curious
8) Icarus Banganakis
9) Roderick B-Team
10) David Ferrer

Post of the season!

I think Djokovic and Murray will be in there, Federer and Nadal will be retired, and Krygios might be in there, then again that could go either way. I then there will be at least 1 player not mentioned by any of us in this thread, a late developer currently aged 17-19 or real youngster currently 14-16. Not going to guess the whole order though, really futile excercise like predicting set scores.

Given 2018 is 2.5 years away, I thought I would see what the top 10 was 2.5 years ago (end 2012):

1. Novak
2. Fed
3. Murray
4. Rafa
5. Ferrer
6. Berdych
7. Del Potro
8. Tsonga
9. Tipsy
10. Gasquet

So, 6 out of 10 still there (with Gasquet not far off a return). I think all of us have gone for between 3-5 of the current top 10 still being in place by 2018. Looking back suggests we may be expecting more change than is likely.

Ironically, I think I am right in saying that both players who were 30+ at end 2012 are still in the top 10 but the youngest (Potro) sadly is not.

I kind of hope you're wrong BS as i feel the game is stagnating but as there ahve been no great changes in rackets, courts, balls etc in the last decade (and no sign of any change soon), the status quo may not shift much unfortunately.

After watching Dimitrov last night, despite the fact that he blew a double break lead, I think I saw in him both variety than in the past, and more maturity, kind of looks more of a man and less of a boy in his look and attitude to the game. I think there was some evidence he is improving. I think he will probably be in the top 10 in 2018. Nishikori too. I suppose Thiem, judging by his ranking and age and other people's opinions, even though I have never seen him play, not for a whole match anyway.

Djokovic
Murray
Krygios
Nishikori
Dimitrov
Thiem

Watch this HB.
Thiem is a big talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKbZCH9Lh2I&index=10&list=LL46N5o2dk_bxPxHc0XNTA5A

Feds going to shock even us fans and be firmly 5-7. His level will drop but, barring injury, he can pick and choose his favorite surfaces and remain in top 10.

Yes, and the comment he apparently made to Lopez last night - "I'm good for a few more years" - leaves that option open.

It's all about the back. If that holds up he could play another 4 years.

Hope so!

Be careful. Federers level will let him play till his body says so. At his age though once it goes, it's gone, he's working on borrowed time I don't think he'll be here come 2018. I think his back and his then much older family will make the decision for him

His two daughters are about 6 now. They'll be starting, or have started school now. It might be pretty tough to keep going and miss some if that

http://www.20min.ch/sport/tennis/story/Luethi-glaubt--Federer-hoert-noch-lange-nicht-auf-23565887

Interview with luthi this week. The German seems to translate differently depending on the app used but the basic pertinent statements I have seen is he says fed said he would definitely play at the Olympics but didn't mean he would stop then and that roger has "several years of beautiful tennis left"

Based on fed making a few mentions of "several years" lately and luthi saying same thing I am firmly predicting we see a top 5 old man Federer in the 2018 rankings

I really hope he plays well past his past. It don't matter if he's not really a serious contender, the main thing is that he doesn't go out at the top. We won't see another like this for a long time.

With Pennetta walking away from the game after winning her first slam, could Feds maybe do the same, ala Sampras? Leave the game on a high?

He's having too much fun to walk away right now. If he was struggling like Sampras and suddenly put it all together and won a big one- you might see that. I think in his case though- he doesn't see this as his last chance and will push for more

LuvSports! wrote:With Pennetta walking away from the game after winning her first slam, could Feds maybe do the same, ala Sampras? Leave the game on a high?

Pennetta is a good player but she is a journeywomen compared to Federer's trailblazing.  He must be smashing all the age records in the modern men's game.  The other thing to consider: many of the top players, when they retire, go on the senior tennis tour (ATP Champions tour), but Federer is good enough and competitive enough to remain in the ATP World Tour.  If he decided to go on the senior tour he would be bored out of his mind as he would beat everyone 6-0 6-0. Federer will qualify for the Senior Tour entry in 11 months time (on his 35th birthday).

I've mentioned Federers qualification with the Seniors to friends, it would be absurd. I can see Roger at 45 wiping the floor with Rafa and Novak because the essence of his game will survive into late age.

If he stays healthy I could imagine him playing classy tennis at 70. Look at McEnroe, he still has it all (did anyone see his brilliant SABR the other day, when they interrupted the Fed / Stan match for it?

Great find BB! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSU5_XvDVfo. Brilliant!
 I think he's retiring this year.