2014 Tennis Winners & Losers......Thus Far

Winners:

• Stan Wawrinka - The Swiss #1 is having a career year. After starting the season with a title in Chennai, he beat Djokovic and Nadal on his way to the Aussie crown. Of the five tournaments he's played since, Stan's failed to reach the QFs with the exception of winning Monte Carlo. Still, super returns for the Stanimal in 2014. 
• Kei Nishikori - Who saw this coming? Kei's won Memphis and Barcelona, looked set to topple Rafa in the Madrid final, and had to concede a walkover in the Miami SF. He's become the first Japanese player to make the ATP top 10 and looks to be improving with each event. Kudos to Michael Chang as well!
• Grigor Dimitrov - "Baby Fed" no more, Dimitrov's made significant strides in 2014. He began the year ranked #23 and is currently peaking in on the top 10 at #12. Wins in Bucharest and Acapulco -- along with a SF in Rome and QF in Australia -- show Grigor's ready to compete with the big boys. He put us all on notice right away by pushing Nadal to four tough sets at the Australian Open. 
• Roger Federer - 2013 was a bleak year for the Swiss maestro. The biggest question for him heading into 2014 was how could he stem the downward trend of his career? He's managed to do just that. A new coach and bigger racquet has brought more consistency and a return to the top 4. 
• Ernests Gulbis - Ernie's played 11 tournaments and has only twice lost to someone he "should" beat - Querrey in Australia and Benneteau in Miami . Along the way, he's played to his seed consistently, picking up a title in Marseille and making semis in Barcelona and Rotterdam. Perhaps it's all the books he's been reading, but Gulbis has been refreshingly consistent in 2014. 
• Novak Djokovic - A QF loss to Stan in Australia is the only notable blemish on Nole's season so far, and even then, it's difficult to hold that loss against him given how superbly Wawrinka played Down Under. Novak's tallied three titles and has almost caught Rafa for the top spot in the rankings. Roland Garros looms large in setting the tone for the remainder of his year. We know how much he covets the title to complete his career Grand Slam; how will he handle the pressure?
• Dominic Thiem - Is there a player on tour with more buzz surrounding him right now? He began the year at #137 and has rocketed to #58, his biggest win coming against Stan in Madrid. At just 20, Thiem appears to be on the cusp of stardom. Look for him to justify the hype with a breakthrough performance in the near future. 
• Jarkko Nieminen - He's currently ranked #51 and hasn't done much on court this year, but he makes this list for announcing over the weekend that, "I'm honored to be appointed as a goodwill ambassador in the battle against homophobia. We are here for each other, not against each other." It's difficult to find more information about this, but kudos to Jarkko nonetheless; we don't often hear tennis players talk about this sort of thing. 

Also deserving: Dustin Brown, Nick Kyrgios, Donald Young, Marin Cilic, Roberto Bautista Agut, Lleyton Hewitt.


Losers:

• Bernard Tomic - Bernie set the record for shortest ever completed match (28 minutes) in a loss to Nieminen in Miami. Now, each time a player gets blown out, his historic loss is now used as a source of comfort...."at least it wasn't as bad as..." Not the kind of record-setting a player wants. 
• Juan Martin Del Potro - Poor JMDP is out again due to a wrist injury. He's a loser only in having the worst luck. After already coming back from surgery on his right wrist, he now faces the same daunting recovery, this time from surgery on the left wrist. 
• Jerzy Janowicz - The big Pole is 8-12 on the year, managing to keep his ranking afloat due to two decent performances in Montpellier and Rotterdam. Otherwise, his season has been a colossal disaster, even losing both of his matches in Davis Cup against Croatia. 
• Andy Murray - After having back surgery last fall, Andy's had a very slow return to form in 2014. He's managed to reach just one SF on the season, well below his usual standards. There is also the not-so-small matter of being without a coach for the last two months, after his divorce from Ivan Lendl. Still, he played a rousing QF match against Nadal in Rome that bodes well for the rest of his year. 

Stuck In The Middle:

• Rafael Nadal - How can a player make this list after winning three titles and holding a 34-6 record? By being a victim of his own ludicrous standards. Nadal's dealt with a puzzling lack of confidence during the clay season. He typically makes clay court tennis look like child's play, but he's been more uncertain than ever on the surface in 2014. Perhaps his back injury and loss to Stan in Australia wreaked havoc on him mentally. He appears to have regained most of his form and confidence in time for Roland Garros, very good news for his fans. A ninth win at the French will render this writing irrelevant. 

Winners:

• Ana Ivanovic - 2014 has a bit of a retro feel to it with Ana and Jelena playing well again. For Ivanovic, her success is due to a consistency that's been missing for a long time. She's been more than awkward fist pumps and wayward ball tosses; Ana has scored wins over Sharapova, Jankovic and both Williams sisters to go along with two titles. All of a sudden, she's a legitimate contender at the French, site of her lone Slam win. 
• Li Na - The Aussie Champ didn't have the toughest road to the title, but she still beat all who stood in her way. The rest of her year has been solid but not spectacular, but hey, she's still the only Slam winner in 2014.
  
• Maria Sharapova - It hasn't been an easy road for Maria, but she's managed to stay afloat in the rankings by defending most of her points from this time last year. Now, she again finds herself as one of the favourites heading into the French Open. Over the last two years, only Serena has been better on clay.  
  
• Venus Williams - Vee's struggles since being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome are well documented, but she's turned in some encouraging results in 2014. A title in Dubai, final in Auckland and two R16 performances have her sitting at #30 in the rankings, with only points in Tokyo to defend the rest of the year. Should she stay healthy, a return to the top-20 is a real possibility.  
• Dominika Cibulkova - What a start to 2014 for Domi! She's made three finals, including a sizzling run at the Australian Open. Consider that she's also made two QFs and a SF, and it's no surprise that she's made her way into the top 10. Cibulkova has had possibly the most consistent seasons of anybody thus far. 
• Kimiko Date-Krumm - KDK turns 44 in September and is currently ranked #82. That alone makes her a winner in my book. She's also scored wins over Muguruza, Pennetta and Puig this year while managing to maintain her ranking inside the top-100.   
• Taylor Townsend - The last time you heard about Taylor Townsend may have been in 2012 as the tennis world shamed the USTA for its handling of one of it brightest talents. Now Taylor has won consecutive ITF tournaments and scored a wild card into the French Open. Currently ranked #200, she's guaranteed to have a picture on her WTA profile page very soon. Have that USTA!
• Martina Hingis - The Swiss Miss made an unsuccessful doubles return to the WTA last year alongside Daniela Hantuchova. She has since partnered with Sabine Lisicki to win Miami, her first doubles title since 2007. I know firsthand how exciting it is to have Martina back on tour (Rogers Cup 2013), and hopefully she can convert this bit of success into something more sustained. The WTA will be better for it. 

Also deserving: Jana Cepelova, Casey Dellacqua, Andrea Petkovic, Belinda Bencic, Flavia Pennetta, Simona Halep, Jelena Jankovic.


Losers:

• Victoria Azarenka - Vika looked poised to seriously threaten Serena's stranglehold on the WTA, but has been undercut by injury this year. She's managed only three tournaments and will now miss the French Open. Her setback came at an inopportune time in her career, and has left a noticeable hole at the top of the women's game.   
• Sloane Stephens - Just a miserable season for Sloane. A coaching change to Paul Annacone has failed to bring more focus to her game. We're witnessing a player who looks lost and disinterested on court, disconcerting given the promise that she's shown.  
• Sara Errani - Tough start to the year for the Italian #1 when she matched her first round exit in Australia from 2013. Although she's reached two finals (including last week in Rome), Errani hasn't been as consistent in her start to this year as she was during the same stretch last season. The injury she picked up in the Rome final was a cruel ending for an otherwise stellar week.  
• Roberta Vinci - Like her Italian counterpart, Vinci's had a rough go of it. The top 10 seems a distant memory after making only one QF all season. 
• Sabine Lisicki - The round of 16 has been the ceiling for the German all season. We know she excels on grass, but the lack of results elsewhere continues to confound. 

Stuck In The Middle:

• Serena Williams - I can't call Serena a winner, much as I haven't with Nadal, because both have come down from last year's pace. Serena's battled fatigue and injury in a couple of tournaments, and took a deserved break from the tour after Charleston. Still, Serena was the overwhelming favourite in Australia and didn't deliver the goods. The loss to Cornet in Dubai was curious, and her play - even while winning - hasn't been as dominant. Like Rafa, a win at Roland Garros fixes everything!