[Brian Swartz]

2052 Final Rankings

1. Mateo Kaspar(FRA, 24) -- 16,490

A rough start by his standards, but still went 90-5, a bit worse than the year before, but won all four Slams, the WTF, and 5 Masters. He's the 7th man to win the Tour Finals three times, and will start appearing on the other all-time leaders short lists by the end of next year. He'll still improve for at least two more seasons, and it's hard to see him not being the world's best player for at least four more, maybe 5+. His main competition is history, and Gorritepe. It's a major upset if he finishes his career worse than the #2 player ever.

2. Prakash Mooljee(SRI, 28) -- 10,230

I've said it a couple times already, but it's worth repeating: the watchword for Mooljee this year was consistency. Well past his best tennis now, he easily held off younger and at least equally skilled players as a clear and respectable #2. This should solidify his legacy as a second-tier all-time great. He remains #2 on Sri Lanka's all-time list ahead of Girsh and behidn Mehul; I don't see that changing and rightfully so due to Anil's position as the pioneering patriarch of our national rise, and also his current achievements in doubles. Mooljee turned in a 75-15 mark this season, down from 82-12 last year but he did enough to maintain his status.

3. Gillo Fangio(ITA, 25) -- 7,800

At a time in his career when he should be accelerating, Fangio slipped a bit to 69-19, winning only Indian Wells among the big events though he did have two Slam finals as well. He seems destined to be one of the best players who will never reach the #1 spot due to Kaspar, but it's past time for him to mount at least a serious challenge to Mooljee for that #2 spot.

4. Johnny Browne(USA, 27) -- 7,200

Browne won his first Masters this year in Cincinatti, but unlike the previous two seasons he didn't claim any Slams. He's the final member of a very clearly-defined Top 4, and is always dangerous on the American hardcourts.

5. Luc Janin(CAN, 25) -- 4,490

The Janin/Borja doubles duo essentially ensured the Canadian would never reach his singles potential. He actually did better this year at not overplaying for the most part, but it didn't seem to matter. He's an afterthought, but reached the QFs of big events nine times(no finals). A gatekeeper between the pretenders and contenders essentially.

6. Ariel Borja(USA, 24) -- 4,300

Also a disappointment this year, and for the same reason. Doubles play wore him out just enough to take the edge off.

7. Guus Dircx(NLD, 22) -- 4,235

Dircx is the flavor of the month, but he hasn't stalled for more than a few months at any point since turning pro, and is threatening to take over the #5 spot before he reaches his 23rd birthday. This is where Janin hit the wall -- will Dircx surge past him and achieve greater heights as the next meteoric young star du jour?

8. Martin Zarco(ESP, 24) -- 4,205

The best player Spain has produced in a decade, Zarco reached his peak this year with SF showings in Rome and Madrid. He's going to be a major factor on clay for the next several years. With less than 300 points separating 5th-8th, anything could happen in this foursome over the next few months. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter where they land though, unless somebody falls off or really excels and starts making up group on the Top 4.

9. Khasan Zakirov(UZB, 29) -- 3,700

I expect a significant drop this year for Zakirov. He made a lot of big QFs this year by doing what he's done the last several years; taking care of business against inferior players. He's no longer any danger to the top guys though, and seeding will now have him exiting a round earlier on a regular basis.

10. Sigmund Kronecker(DEU, 25) -- 3,455

A bit of a late-bloomer, Kronecker announced himself in a big way this year. Along with some good smaller events, he had 3 Masters QFs and two in the Slams. Time to see if he can back that up and keep pushing forward. The best German player since Bjorn Benda I think.

There's nobody within almost 1000 points who isn't on the downside of their career or at least peaked. 7 of the Top 10 are 25 or younger; it should be a stable and overall strengthening group. From here to the mid-20s, there's a lot 27-28 year-olds who are unlikely to make a major push, which may well allow even Zakirov to stick. All of this signals to me that when Mooljee does start slipping, he could fall down the rankings very quickly.