So what's your projections for 2018?

Now is time to pull one's neck out.

It's been a very weird year as I am sure no-one could have predicted the 2017 year-end ranking. However, it is possible with all those players returning from injuries, maybe some returning to it (Nadal, Federer) we are going to have an even more hard time guessing who are going to be the hot players of next year.

Here is my guess:

Djoko - Will climb his way up to slam winning position...without actually winning. top 5 to 3 next year.
Murray - Will struggle a bit more. Players are more aggressive and his moving will get more and more exposed.
Stan - I still expect him to do well. If fit I can see him top 2.
Nishi - I still believe he can do lots of damage if fit. Probably top 3 next year.
Raonic - No. Will struggle re-enter top 10.
Berdych - Top 20-10 certainly not better.

Federer - Heard he wanted to play more. But we know he can't. Number 4.
Nadal - Back to 5-10.

So there won’t be a #1 next year?

I certainly can't say who will be after RG!

What about your input!

Next year is so hard.  The guys who are #1/#2 are the ones that can fall apart with age/injuries at any time, the other top guys are all currently injured, and the only healthy ones are the useless youngsters.

I have to sleep on it a couple of times before I can even start thinking about 2018.

Nadal will have his treatment on his knee and come back well for the part of the season that matters most to him. Federer will drop big points at the start of the year until Miami, then will skip clay again.

It’s all about Djokovic. He really should get#1 again quite easily if fit.

Zverev will continue to improve, possible top 4 fixture.

Murray won’t return to the top 5. He might be finished as a contender.

bogbrush wrote:Nadal will have his treatment on his knee and come back well for the part of the season that matters most to him. 

Treatment? Why? He pulled out because the job was done, and while he still could save his face (read: no more beatings from Federer).

My predictions:
Nadal will secure his no.1 ranking at the AO for a while, by entering in a typical Nadal slam fitness mode.  I think it's harder for Federer to win AO than it is for NAdal to make it to the final. Which means he probably will hang on to his ranking until at least USO. 2018 will be the year we will find out if the slam record is safe or not. To me it isn't yet

Djoko: i want him and expect him to attack Nadal's supremacy  on clay. AO may be too early  for succes but he should find his winnings ways somewhere along Miami/Indian wells and built on that on clay. Top 5

Murray: small successes only. Slam quarterfinal material. Top 8

Fed: Wimbledon, Wimbeldon Wimbledon. The rest is not relevant or not realistic. 

Rao: top 15 without big wins

Nishi:  top 15 without big wins

Zverev: the dullest player ever to be hard to beat. But he'll come a long way though. top 3, maybe 2

Stan: You just never know. Can see him dropping out of top 10 for good, but he also could be the first player -in a very long time- ranked outside top 10 to win a slam. 

Berd: going gently into that good night.

All in all i can't see big chances in the ranking. Murray and Djoko will return and a few others will stick around for a while (Dimi, Cilic, Delpo, Thiem) in the top 10 as i don't think they'll be surpassed by the upcoming talents yet

gallery play wrote:Nadal will secure his no.1 ranking at the AO for a while, by entering in a typical Nadal slam fitness mode.  I think it's harder for Federer to win AO than it is for NAdal to make it to the final. Which means he probably will hang on to his ranking until at least USO.

No no no no no no, let's not do that.  Federer should take over as No 1 at one point, so what you are predicting needs to be all wrong....