The 2014 ATP Moods Awards

For me the biggest story of 2014 was Roger Federer's superb return to top form. Although he missed out on his biggest objective—namely winning another Grand Slam—the Swiss achieved a series of astonishing accolades, the most important being bringing Switzerland its first Davis Cup trophy. We can even say the season belonged to Switzerland with its top two players finishing inside the top 4. While Roger is an established presence at the top of the rankings, it was Stan who stole the spotlight with his maiden Grand Slam success in Australia. However, nothing compared to Marin Cilic's shocking triumph at the US Open.

2014 was a year when the young guns really rose to the occasion. Nishikori made the final at Flushing Meadows, Gulbis reached the semis at Roland Garros, while Raonic and Dimitrov achieved the same feat at Wimbledon. The foursome also broke into the top 10 for the first time, anticipating an imminent change of guards. 

While some got to shine bright, others weren't that fortunate. Juan Martin del Potro and veteran Tommy Haas where sidelined for most of the season, while Rafael Nadal struggled with serious injuries after his Roland Garros victory.

Exciting new Aussie prospect, Nick Kyrgios, made headlines at Wimbledon where he stunned Nadal to reach the quarterfinals. Hard-working Russian, Nikolay Davydenko, a former regular top 10er  hung up the racket after failing to regain top form.

All in all, it was an exhillarating 2014, which opens the door to a more sensational 2015. Tennis Moods looks back at all these incredible stories and rewards these amazing champions. Congrats to all the 2014 ATP Moods Awards winners!

The 'World's Greatest' Award (for the best player of the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Novak Djokovic

The 'He Found Love' Award (for the most improved player of the year)

Winner: Kei Nishikori

Runner-up: Milos Raonic

The 'Homecoming' Award (for the most spectacular comeback)

Winner: David Goffin

Runner-up: Andy Murray

The 'He Works Hard for the Money' Award (for the most hard-working player)

Winner: Andy Murray 

Runner-up: David Ferrer

The 'Here I Am' Award (for the newcomer of the year)

Winner: Grigor Dimitrov

Runner-up: Roberto Bautista Agut

The 'We Are Young' Award (for the most promising youngster on the tour)

Winner: Nick Kyrgios

Runner-up: Borna Coric

The 'Talk That Talk' Award (for the wittiest player on the tour)

Winner: Bob & Mike Bryan

Runner-up: Novak Djokovic

The 'Broken Hearted Boy' Award (for the most disappointing player of the year)

Winner: Juan Martin del Potro

Runner-up: Tommy Haas

The 'King of Hearts' Award (for the Tennis Moods' favourite)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The 'I Will Always Love You' Award (for the player who retired this year and will be missed the most)

Winner: Nikolay Davidenko

Runner-up: Olivier Rochus

The 'When We Collide' Award (for the most spectacular doubles team)

Winner: Bob & Mike Bryan

Runner-up: Vasek Pospisil & Jack Sock

The 'Fashion of His Love' Award (for the best dressed player throughout the year)

Winner: Grigor Dimitrov

Runner-up: Roger Federer

The 'Imagine' Award (for the most emotional story of the year)

Winner: Stan Wawrinka winning Australian Open

Runner-up: Roger Federer losing the Wimbledon final

The 'I Dreamed a Dream' Award (for the accomplishment of a dream)

Winner: Marin Cilic winning US Open

Runner-up: Stan Wawrinka winning Australian Open

The 'Clash of Titans' Award (for the most exhilarating duel of the year)

Winner: Roger Federer & Novak Djokovic

Runner-up: Roger Federer & Stan Wawrinka

SEE ALSO: The 2011 ATP Moods Awards, The 2012 ATP Moods Awards, and The 2012 ATP Moods Awards

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The Bryans Have Really Won It All!

After claiming their 100th team title on homesoil, at the US Open, the extraordinary Bryan brothers have achieved two more major milestone this past weekend, completing their Masters 1000 collection, respectively securing the year-end No.1 for a record 10th time. 

While both are remarkable, ground-breaking performances, the Shanghai crown stands out a bit better as it basically marks the completion of a mission. A tough, extremely difficult mission, the mission to win it all. And at this point, the Bryans have literary won it all. They won all the four majors at least twice, the Olympic gold medal in London 2012, the Masters Cup, their 100th title, and now all the Masters 1000 trophies. All these in addition to setting tons of other records, which really make them the best tennis duo of all time.

In Shanghai, Bob and Mike Bryan put in quite a performance, cruising through the draw with relative ease. In the final, they defeated reigning French Open champions, Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Eduoard Roger-Vasselin.

“To win here, it's been a long time coming to Shanghai. To finally get across the finish line as the winning team was extra special today," said Mike.

“It's another great milestone. This week was full of them for us. To come and get in the title match, have a shot at winning the tournament that's eluded us, complete the Golden Masters, is amazing,” added Bob.

“It was really the last thing left for us to do. We can definitely shut it down today and be happy guys.”

With nothing left to win, it's difficult to imagine what's next in store for the twins. One amazing thing is that they are not scarce on motivation, so it seems they will be around to dominate men's doubles for many more years to come. Well done, boys! Huge congrats!

In addition to their slew of records, the extraordinary Bryan brother wrote another page in the history book by defeating Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin to win in Shanghai and complete their Masters 1000 collection.

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Young Guns Pospisil & Sock Rise to Fame

Playing in just their first outing together, young guns Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock pulled off the biggest shock of the doubles tournament, going all the way to lifting the biggest title of their young career.

It was a dream fortnight for this exciting duo who stunned eighth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, second seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares, and fifth seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek en route to the final. In the championships match, Pospisil and Sock took out the all-time greats, Mike and Bob Bryan, after a hard-fought 7-6,6-7,6-4,3-6,7-5 victory. While Sock has won the 2011 US Open mixed doubles trophy with Melanie Oudin, this was Pospisil first title of any kind.

"I think this is the highlight of my career, for sure," said Pospisil. "These last two weeks have been amazing, to be honest, because the whole year was a struggle. Just not feeling good on the court. Then last week was my first pain-free week of the year. That was really nice. Then now to cap it off with a title at Wimbledon is not bad."

"We had a lot of fun," added Sock. "People could see that. I think that's part of why we did well. We really enjoyed being out there, enjoyed the moment. It was both of our first times on Centre Court there. As kids we grew up watching this tournament. This is what we kind of dreamed of doing. To be able to go out there and play the best doubles team of all time and to get a win was pretty incredible."
The pair will continue to play together, so I expect some more great tennis from these jubilant young guns. Best of luck, guys!

In just their first outing together, Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock stunned world No.1, the Bryan brothers, 7-6,6-7,6-4,3-6,7-5 to win the Wimbledon doubles crown.

It was a dream fortnight for the Canadian-American duo who caused a slew of upsets en route to the title.

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The 2013 ATP Moods Awards

2013 has been a great year for tennis. It was highlighted by Nadal's magnificent comeback to the top of the rankings, Djokovic's flawless end to the season, the rejuvenation of tennis hopefuls Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet, as well as the coming of age of young guns Bernard Tomic and Grigor Dimitrov. For me though, the biggest story of them all was Andy Murray winning Wimbledon to end the 77-year wait for the hungry home nation. In one of the most bizarre tournaments ever, the crowd carried Andy to the title, helping him fulfill his prophecy. 

2013 also marked a big disappointed as we've witnessed Roger Federer drift further away from the top. His series of surprising losses made headlines throughout the year, raising questions about his future. However, the Swiss has been adamant in declaring he will continue playing for many more years, proving determined to change fortunes in 2014. The world needs the almighty Federer back!

Exhilarating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga produced another disappointment as he let an enormous chance slip by. Facing hard-working David Ferrer for a place in the Roland Garros final, Jo played a terrible match to gift away the victory. The loss also marked the end of his season as he injured his knee at Wimbledon and was sidelined till October. Hope he comes back stronger next season!

On the bright side, Tommy Haas confirmed his good form, making an emphatic return to the top 10. At 35, the German is as dangerous as ever as he continues to break new grounds and push his opponents to their limits. Spaniard Tommy Robredo also put together a sensational comeback season, reaching the quarterfinals at both the French and the US Open. Although he is not fully recovered, Gael Monfils is showing steady progress in making his way back to where he was a few seasons ago. 

The young guns have also showed their great potential. Milos Raonic cracked the top 10, while outspoken Pole Jerzy Janowicz reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.

Bob and Mike Bryan clearly dominated the doubles tour, winning most of the big tournaments. A near miss at Flushing Meadows prevented them from completing a calendar Grand Slam, but they did hold all four majors plus the Olympic gold at the same time (a.k.a. the Golden Bryan Slam) strengthening their credentials as the best doubles team in history.

Tennis Moods looks back at a rich 2013, recognizing the stand-out players of the year. Congrats to all the 2013 ATP Moods Awards winners!

The 'World's Greatest' Award (for the best player of the year)

Winner: Rafael Nadal

Runner-up: Andy Murray

The 'He Found Love' Award (for the most improved player of the year)

Winner: Stanislas Wawrinka

Runner-up: Richard Gasquet

The 'Homecoming' Award (for the most spectacular comeback)

Winner: Tommy Robredo

Runner-up: Gael Monfils

The 'He Works Hard for the Money' Award (for the most hard-working player)

Winner: David Ferrer

Runner-up: Rafael Nadal

The 'Here I Am' Award (for the newcomer of the year)

Winner: Jerzy Janowicz

Runner-up: Vasek Pospisil

The 'We Are Young' Award (for the most promising youngster on the tour)

Winner: Grigor Dimitrov

Runner-up: Bernard Tomic

The 'Talk That Talk' Award (for the wittiest player on the tour)

Winner: Novak Djokovic

Runner-up: Mike & Bob Bryan

The 'Broken Hearted Boy' Award (for the most disappointing player of the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Brian Baker

The 'King of Hearts' Award (for the Tennis Moods' favourite)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Tommy Haas

The 'I Will Always Love You' Award (for the player who retired this year and will be missed the most)

Winner: David Nalbandian

Runner-up: James Blake

The 'When We Collide' Award (for the most spectacular doubles team)

Winner: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan

Runner-up: Michael Llodra & Nicholas Mahut

The 'Fashion of His Love' Award (for the best dressed player throughout the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The 'Imagine' Award (for the most emotional story of the year)

Winner: Andy Murray winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: Rafael Nadal winning US Open

The 'I Dreamed a Dream' Award (for the accomplishment of a dream)

Winner: Andy Murray winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: David Ferrer reaching the French Open final

The 'Hero' Award (for the braveheart performance of the year)

Winner: Juan Martin del Potro at Wimbledon

Runner-up: Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open

The 'Clash of Titans' Award (for the most exhilarating duel of the year)

Winner: Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal

Runner-up: Roger Federer & Juan Martin del Potro

SEE ALSO: The 2011 ATP Moods Awards and The 2012 ATP Moods Awards

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The Golden 'Bryan' Slam in Pictures

The Golden brothers won the London Olympics beating Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

In the US Open final, the Bryans revenge their Australian Open final defeat to Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek.

At Melbourne, Bob and Mike won their sixth Australian Open title, beating unseeded Dutch pair Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling.

In Paris, the American greats overcame home hopes Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut 7-6 in the decider, collecting their second French Open title.

They completed the Golden 'Bryan' Slam by overcoming Croatian Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo to win their third Wimbledon crown.

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The Unstoppable Flying Brothers

Doubles legends, Bob and Mike Bryan, were on a mission at this year's Wimbledon. Having won the previous three Slams, as well as the Olympic gold medal in London, the twins were looking to complete the Golden 'Bryan' Slam, thus becoming the first team to hold all four majors, plus the Olympic gold at the same time.

With many of their rivals choosing to part ways at the end of last season, the Bryans found themselves unbothered as they cruised through 2013, winning eight of the eleven tournaments they've entered. While the newly formed teams are still in the process of accommodating with each other, the accomplished twins, aged 35, are completely in sync. This helped them reach some unbelievable heights throughout their career. "I think that's the reason why we've been playing so well, is because we have everything," said Bob. "Everything now feels like a bonus. It just feels like we're adding nuts and whipped cream and cherries to our great career. We said that a few years ago: if we retire today, we feel like we've done it all. Let's go have some fun and add to whatever this is."

Riding on an incredible 18-match winning streak, the Bryan brothers proved unstoppable at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. They've advanced through to the semifinals without dropping a set, withstood a tough challenge from Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Indian Rohan Bopanna, to then end the dream run of Croatian Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo to clinch an historic title.

"It's hard to even dream that we'd have the slam, all four at one time," said Mike Bryan. "It all started back after we won the gold. It just felt like a huge pressure was released. Went on to win the Open and had a great summer. This year we've been on an amazing tear. Never had a streak like this. Especially at 35, I feel like we're hitting our peak.
"In the context of our career, it is probably up there at the top. I didn't think anything could feel as sweet as the gold medal, but this one just feels like there's a cap, a lid, or a ribbon around our career. It's pretty cool. It's something we never dreamed of, to try to win four in a row. It's too hard to dominate in doubles. Maybe we had a little luck involved along the way. We just took one at a time. It just added up. Now we got to try to suit back up for the calendar slam."

Next goal for the 'flying' brothers: winning all four majors in a season. They can do that by successfully defending their US Open crown. Let's go #BryanBros!

Although they lost the first five games of the final, the Bryan brothers came back strong, winning the final 3-6,6-3,6-4,6-3 to complete the Golden 'Bryan' Slam. The American twins now hold all four Grand Slam trophies, as well as the Olympic gold medal.

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The Legendary Brothers

The world's most popular doubles team wrote history once more at this year's Australian Open, as they cruised past the Dutch pairing of Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling to collect a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title. The Bryan brothers now stand alone as the most prolific doubles team of all time, breaking their previous record, one they shared with Aussies John Newcombe and Tony Roche. 

Asked to comment on the team's amazing results, Mike said: "We never really think we're that good. We've put our head down every day. We just don't let each other slack off. If one guy is playing a little worse, the other guy is on him. We just don't let our level drop. We just let [the media] talk about how good we are. We don't really go, ‘We're amazing.’ We don't go home and talk about our records. It's fun to look at our trophies once in a while, but we're always just trying to push the bar a little higher and get better. To be a part of history is pretty special. We weren't thinking about it much out there, but now that we have it, it's going to be fun to look back on our career and say we have the most Grand Slams."

Although they've won every Grand Slam at least once, the twins have always felt most comfortable Down Under where they contested nine of the last ten finals and won sixth crown. Talking about their special connection with the 'Happy' Slam, Mike said: "I think we're so successful at this tournament because we spent the offseason mainly in the same spot working toward the new year. We come into these tournaments with momentum." 

After finishing at number 1 for seven of the last eight seasons, no one can argue the Bryans are probably the most dominant force in men's doubles of all time. In 2012 they achieved their biggest dream by winning the Olympic gold medal in London, and they immediately announced they plan to defend it in Rio in 2016. So, although they've won basically everything, it seems they have no plans of hanging up their racquets just yet. According to Bob: "As far as records, there's not much left to achieve. But like we've told you before, we're competitors. We hate to lose. We want to finish No. 1." And judging by the perfect start to the 2013 seasons, i.e. they've lifted titles in Sydney and Melbourne, the Americans show no signs of giving up their position anytime soon.

The Bryan brothers became the most prodigious doubles team of all time, winning their 13th Grand Slam title after defeating Dutch duo, Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling in the Australian Open final.

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The 2012 ATP Moods Awards

What a sensational year has 2012 been! So many amazing stories, so many great comebacks, some heart-breaking retirements, but overall an exhilarating season. It started with Novak's extraterrestrial defence in Melbourne highlighted by the epic final against Nadal. The Spaniard got his revenge though, sweeping through his favourite red dirt with victories in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Roland Garros, straightening his credentials as the best clay-court player of all time. It was long time coming, but Federer finally collected his 17th Slams, making an emphatic return to number 1 following his stunning Wimbledon triumph. 

With Nadal sidelined by a persistent knee injury, the latter half of the season belonged to Andy Murray. The Briton claimed the Olympic gold medal in London to the delight of the host nation. He then broke the 'curse' becoming the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a Grand Slam. In a topsy-turvy Flushing Meadows final, Andy defeated Novak Djokovic in a marathon five-setter. The Serb however stepped into the limelight at the right moment, securing the number 1 year finish with an impressive success at the ATP World Tour Championships in London.

Tennis Moods looks back at a rich 2012, recognizing the stand-out players of the year. Congrats to all the 2012 ATP Moods Awards winners!

The 'World's Greatest' Award (for the best player of the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Andy Murray

The 'He Found Love' Award (for the most improved player of the year)

Winner: Andy Murray

Runner-up: Juan Monaco

The 'Homecoming' Award (for the most spectacular comeback)

Winner: Tommy Haas

Runner-up: Sam Querrey

The 'He Works Hard for the Money' Award (for the most hard-working player)

Winner: David Ferrer

Runner-up: Rafael Nadal

The 'Here I Am' Award (for the newcomer of the year)

Winner: Brian Baker

Runner-up: Jerzy Janowicz

The 'Talk That Talk' Award (for the wittiest player on the tour)

Winner: Novak Djokovic

Runner-up: Mike & Bob Bryan

The 'Broken Hearted Boy' Award (for the most disappointing player of the year)

Winner: Gael Monfils

Runner-up: Mardy Fish

The 'King of Hearts' Award (for the Tennis Moods' favourite)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The 'We Miss You' Award (for the player who retired this year and will be missed the most)

Winner: Andy Roddick

Runner-up: Arnaud Clement

The 'When We Collide' Award (for the most spectacular doubles team)

Winner: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan

Runner-up: Robert Lindstedt & Horia Tecau

The 'Fashion of His Love' Award (for the best dressed player throughout the year)

Winner: Roger Federer

Runner-up: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The 'Imagine' Award (for the most emotional story of the year)

Winner: Roger Federer winning Wimbledon

Runner-up: Andy Murray winning the Olympic gold medal

The 'Clash of Titans' Award (for the most exhilarating duel of the year)

Winner: Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray

Runner-up: Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal

SEE ALSO: The 2011 ATP Moods Awards

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