Simona Halep of Romania reacts after being defeated by Serena Williams of the United States during day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Monday, January 21, 2019. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
We saw quite a few youngsters shine brightly this tennis season while some veterans also reminded us that they still mean business.
Youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, and Felix Auger-Aliassime impressed a lot in various tournaments across the season. Rafael Nadal ruled the roost in the earlier half of the season while fellow legend Novak Djokovic ended the season on a high.
In the women’s game, we saw the rise and rise of Iga Swiatek. The Polish sensation climbed to the top of the rankings and bagged 8 titles during the year that included 2 Grand Slams. Caroline Garcia showed her prowess and has found top gear and fans expect her to deliver at the majors in 2023. Ons Jabeur has also created several records and done her country and fans proud.
However, the season has not been a memorable one for quite a few players on both the men’s and women’s circuits, and fans debated on a recent post on Reddit about which player among the lot had the worst season.’
There are five frontrunners who will not remember their season in 2022 too fondly. They are Naomi Osaka, Alexander Zverev, Emma Raducanu, Aslan Karatsev, and Simona Halep.
Naomi Osaka seemed to have overcome her mental issues but injuries halted her flow. She retired from three matches and fell 30 places in the rankings.
Alexander Zverev ended 2021 with a fabulous result in the ATP Finals as he won the title by defeating Daniil Medvedev. In 2022, Zverev reached the Open Sud de France final and the Madrid Open final but lost on both occasions. He played Rafael Nadal in the French Open semifinal. The match was intriguing poised at 7-6 (10-8), 6-6 with Nadal having the lead when Zverev suffered a terrible ankle injury. The talented German could play no further part in the season after that unfortunate incident.
Emma Raducanu became a household name after winning the US Open in 2021. However, her results in the next 12 months turned out to be quite ordinary. She failed to defend her title as she lost in the first round in this year’s US Open. The 20-year-old also dropped outside the top 10 and is currently placed at No. 75.
Aslan Karatsev also had a rather forgettable year. The Russian-Israeli athlete dropped outside the top 50 in the ATP rankings and is currently placed at No. 59. He was also charged with match-fixing. According to an investigation by Markus Harm and Jannik Schneider for ZDF in Germany, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Karatsev were involved in match-fixing. Both men went on to deny the allegations.
Simona Halep is another player who would like to forget how the 2022 season transpired for her. She began the year on a solid note as she won the Melbourne Summer Set 1. She won her second title of the year in Montreal. However, Halep experienced problems in her married life. According to reports, her husband Toni Iuruc confirmed that they were getting divorced 12 months after tieing the knot. Halep’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou was also cited as one of the reasons why the 2-time Grand Slam champion decided to end her relationship with Iuruc. Lastly, the killer blow came when Halep was served a 2-year doping suspension after testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat.
Let’s take a look at what the fans had to say regarding which player had the worst season in 2022.
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