Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic enjoyed breakthrough triumphs at the Australian and US Opens, but at the end of 2014 it was business as usual for Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer Djokovic was world number one for the third time in four years after winning a second Wimbledon title for his seventh major. The 27-year-old collected seven titles in all, suffered just eight defeats in 69 matches and by the end of the year he was World Tour Finals champion once again.
The Serb even found the time to get married, become a father and take part in the knockabout International Premier Tennis League along with the likes of Federer and Serena Williams. With Federer in sight of his 34th birthday in 2015 and with continuing doubts over the fitness of Rafael Nadal, it is Djokovic who will be the man to beat in the new year.
After a second Roland Garros final loss to Nadal in three years, the world number one's priority is a first French Open title and the completion of a career Grand Slam. "Roland Garros is still one of the biggest goals that I have," said Djokovic, who now has four Australian Open crowns, two at Wimbledon and a single US Open triumph. Djokovic's roll-call of titles in 2014 read Wimbledon, Masters crowns in Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Paris as well as the Beijing trophy, all topped off by the World Tour Finals in London secured when Federer scratched from the final with a back injury.
Federer failed to add to his record 17 Grand Slam titles, falling in a five-set title match at Wimbledon to Djokovic. He still won 73 matches against 12 losses with five titles to take his career tally to 82. The veteran also ended 2014 a winner, securing a first ever Davis Cup with Switzerland after 16 years of trying. Nadal had another 'now you see him, now you don't' campaign.
A shock defeat in the Australian Open final to Wawrinka, who also finished 2014 as a Davis Cup winner, was followed by a ninth French Open triumph at Roland Garros where his record stands at 66 wins against just one loss since his debut as a 19-year-old in 2005. But a fourth round defeat at Wimbledon at the hands of Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios led to a three-month absence from the tour to nurse a wrist injury.
Nadal only played three more events, missing the defence of his US Open title, before a bout of appendicitis required surgery, shutting down his year. Andy Murray lost his Wimbledon title in a quarter-final defeat to Grigor Dimitrov, but made headlines by hiring a female coach in the shape of France's Amelie Mauresmo after the Briton split with Ivan Lendl in March. That move wasn't the only shock of the new in 2014.
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