I think we can all agree that there’s no better time of year for great tennis journalism than the offseason, and that there is no more original idea than making a top 10 list of things that happened in 2015.
Luckily for you, I am here to do just that, highlighting the most incredible moments of the 2015 ATP season. Buckle up, because it’s going to be wild ride!
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1. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray renewed their thrilling rivalry in 2015, largely thanks to incredible rallies like this one from Miami. It’s amazing what these two can do on a tennis court!
2. I knew there was no way I could leave this one off the list!
3. You may not have heard of this since nobody really talked about it, but Roger Federer hired Stefan Edberg as his coach and employed a new returning strategy called SABR, or Sneak Attack by Roger Federer’s Inability to Respect His Opponents’ Need for Personal Space. (Acronym could use some work.)
The aging GOAT, unable to add to his Slam total since 2012, decided to sit down and examine his own game in the recent years to see what was missing. It was his deep desire to become the first ATP player to win the US Open on the same day as winning a bingo tournament that sent him back to the drawing board in earnest.
Finally, after examining every flaw in his game from 2012-2015, Federer discovered the weakness. It turns out his unforced error count on makeable returns wasn’t nearly high enough, so he sprang into action to fix that immediately.
This development revolutionized the 17-time slam champion’s game. It makes you wonder, how did he even win 17 slams before he learned to do this? Inspiring!
4. The other big change that Federer made to his game in 2015 was to stop allowing towels to push him around.
Before now, like many, I couldn’t even count how many of Federer’s recent losses could be attributed to bullying from a bathroom accessory. Fortunately, we’ll never have to worry about that again.
5. I swear I didn’t doctor this unreal footage!
6. I hope you’re not reading this at work, because this hilarious blooper is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!
7. This dazzling first serve from Caruso nearly made it over the net! Can you even imagine what would’ve happened if it had gone in?
8. Electrifying!
9. American Taylor Fritz, a future ATP superstar, made a name for himself on the Challenger Tour by racking up win after win with incredible points like this. The future of the ATP is very bright.
10. I can’t wait until tennis starts up again, but it’ll be tough to beat 2015!
OK, I’ll be the first to admit it:
I had to get to the 2nd Highlight to realize this was simply a satire… 🙁