Similar to Dimitrov, Sock started off 2017 with early-season victories then finished up the year with a career-defining moment. Needing to win the Paris Masters to make the ATP Finals, Sock pulled it off to become the first American since Andy Roddick to triumph at that level. At the year-end championships, he advanced to the semifinals in his debut appearance.
This year, though, he’s lost matches to a wide range of players ranked dozens of spots below him, leaving him with a 5-15 ledger. While he’s had his struggles on the singles court, doubles has been a saving grace: The 25-year-old has won four tournaments with four different partners, most recently at Wimbledon—his second title there—with compatriot Mike Bryan.
While he didn’t advance to a final last year or match his career-high ranking of 38, Donald Young looked as if he had firmly established himself as a threat in any draw and as a consistent member of the Top 50. Over the first half of 2017, he posted back-to-back semifinal finishes at Memphis and Delray Beach, then had consecutive fourth-round runs in Indian Wells and Miami. He also reached his first Grand Slam final, which came in men’s doubles at the French Open. Unable to defend any of his singles points, he’s currently ranked 242 in the world with a 3-11 record.
The demanding nature of the game also takes a physical toll, which has made an impact on the women’s rankings this year. After cracking the Top 10 for the first time last year, American CoCo Vandeweghe is just now making a summer hard-court appearance—where she’s usually at her best—after an ankle injury. Garbine Muguruza, who had been battling an arm injury for the past several weeks, fell early in Cincinnati—where she was the defending champion—and will be entering the US Open ranked outside of the Top 10.
By its nature, the professional tours give players the opportunity to “right the ship” on a weekly basis and no hole is too deep to crawl out of at some point: Young once lost 17 matches in a row in 2012 before working his way back. Age and experience are on the sides of these players, as well.
Realizing that they’re only a year removed from some of the best tennis of their careers is something to build upon, as well, as they look to make a rebound before the year is out.