In the year since the five top‑ranked men’s players – Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori – arrived in Melbourne with reasonable expectations of challenging for the first grand slam title of the season, the tennis world has been tumble-dried like a 20-foot wave.
Djokovic – once so dominant at the Australian Open – fell in the second round, Murray and Nishikori reached the last 16, Raonic got to the quarter‑finals and only Wawrinka reached the semi-finals. More significantly in a wider context, though, not one of them made it as far as the fourth major of 2017, the US Open. If ever there was a statistic to describe the parlous state of modern tennis, it might be that one. And it could be superseded on 15 January, as there is no guarantee any of them will reach the starting line this year or survive without injury over the course of the tournament.
February 2017: Murray endures shock fourth-round defeat against Mischa Zverev at Australian Open and on return home is diagnosed with shingles. Returns in Dubai after a month off and wins only title of season.
Related: Andy Murray considers hip surgery as career hangs in the balance
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