Wozniacki wins her first major. Yes, Wozniacki will likely lose her number one ranking in 2012, and presumably to Kvitova. But Woz has the determination and skills to win a Slam. Plus, if she loses the number one ranking, there will be fewer expectations of her. Look for Woz to shine through just as the naysayers have written her off, once and for all.
Jankovic finishes the year top-five. I know, I know. It's been four years since Jankovic made it to the US Open final, and so many strong players have emerged since then. Jankovic's not been near her glory days for some time. However, I saw patches of brilliance in the second half of 2011. Something tells me Jankovic will roar back to life in 2012.
(c) 2011 Robert Gray/Getty Images AsiaPac
Venus talks -- coyly, of course -- about retirement. Venus being Venus, she will not flat out announce in 2012 that she's retiring. Yet, I think she'll give some indications to that effect. She may simply fade away without fanfare over the next year or two or three. But I think 2012 is the beginning of the end for the elder Williams. A shame. She's matured into a graceful, and grateful, champion over the years.
Djokovic hangs on to the top spot. The man has more than 13,000 points to defend in 2012. Yikes. But, I'm as confident about Djokovic as he is about himself. He'll finish the year, once again, as world number one.
Federer wins big. It may be another Slam. It may be an Olympic gold medal. Or it may be both -- or more. Federer pulled up short at all the majors in 2011, yet his guns were blazing at the year-end tournament in London. We'll see more of that fire and intensity in 2012. He'll emerge as champion, perhaps even twice in Lo
ndon -- i.e. Wimbledon then the Olympics. Now, how would THAT be for a summer to remember?Roddick gives Americans a thrill ride. Roddick surely won't win a Slam in 2012, or ever again, if we're being truly honest. However, look for Roddick to make it deep into a Slam this year, or maybe even to the medal stand at the Olympics. So many are ready to put him out to pasture. I refuse to believe he's at that point. At least not yet.
(c) 2011 Susan Mullane/US PRESSWIRE
Well, what do you think? Are these predictions inside the baseline ... or clearly out?
Now that I finally posted my predictions, I allowed myself to read yours. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI give you credit for sticking by Jankovic and Roddick through some less than stellar times. I could get on board with a deep Roddick run... but you’re definitely more optimistic about that than I am. And I almost wrote the same exact thing about Venus – the fact that she might just never announce she was retiring, sort of going out the way Lindsay Davenport did.
Your predictions were also more succinct and you included photos. Bonus points for you. :-)