100 Random Predictions for 2015

This is my third set of preseason predictions as the off season is just minutes away from ending. I started with my expert panel that filled out a questionnaire for the upcoming season. I also had my prediction for the year-end top 100 in 2015, doing that set of predictions for the fourth year in a row. Now for the third year in a row, I have my list of 100 random predictions.

In 2013, I got 47 of my predictions correct and in 2014, 48 of them came true. I tried to maintain the same degree of difficulty in my predictions for 2015, but measuring that degree of difficulty is hard to do unless other experts make the exact same kind of predictions. That was the reasoning behind doing an expert panel that filled out a questionnaire, and even amongst the experts, there was quite a bit of disagreement.

So in an attempt to maintain that same degree of boldness, here are my 100 predictions for the 2015 tennis season.

*Predictions in green are ones that came true and red is for the incorrect predictions

Almagro will win at least 40 matches

At least 16 Americans will be in the top 200

At least 33 countries will be represented in the top 100

At least five Spaniards will drop out of the top 50

At least four Serbs will finish in the top 100

At least three players younger than 21 will finish in the top 100

At most three top 10 players will have less losses than Nishikori

Bautista Agut will not be ranked any higher than 13

Berdych will earn at least $4M in prize money

Berdych will have more titles than first round losses

Berdych will return to the top 5 at some point in the year

Berdych will win his 500th match before Murray

China will have a representative in the top 150 at some point

Cilic will not reach a grand slam final

Cilic will win 80% of first serve points

Coric will earn more prize money than Haase

Dimitrov will be ranked outside the top 10 at Wimbledon

Dimitrov will be seeded in the top 10 at Wimbledon

Dimitrov will have less double faults than Berdych

Dimitrov will win a grass-court title

Dimitrov will win a match against Federer

Dimitrov will win more second serve points than Nishikori

Djokovic will break serve at least 300 times

Djokovic will defeat Federer in the Australian Open final

Djokovic will defeat Nadal in the Roland Garros final

Djokovic will defend a non-hard court title

Djokovic will finish the year ranked No. 1

Djokovic will have at least 10,000 ranking points

Djokovic will never drop the No. 1 ranking

Djokovic will win Cincinnati

Djokovic will win multiple slams

During April, Kyrgios will be ranked in the top 35

Everyone in the year-end top 5 will be at least 28

Federer will not win a grand slam

Federer will reach less than nine finals

Federer will win at least 16 grand slam matches

Federer will win one or less 1000 titles

Ferrer will not qualify for London

Ferrer will not reach a 1000 final

Ferrer's title(s) will all come on clay

Gasquet will reach the second week of a slam at most once

Germany will have no representatives in the top 30

Goffin will be ranked in the top 15 after Wimbledon

Gojowczyk will play in a 1000 event

Gulbis will drop out of the top 20 after Roland Garros

Gulbis will not return to the top 10 at any point this year

Jack Sock will reach a final

Janowicz will reach the second week of a slam

Johnson will drop out of the top 50 before Roland Garros

Johnson will finish the year in the top 30

Krajinovic will win a grand slam match

Kyrgios will be seeded at Wimbledon

Less than 15 players 32 or older will be in the top 100

Lopez will be at his career-high ranking after Barcelona

Monfils will be the top-ranked Frenchman at some point

Murray will be ranked No. 3 after Madrid

Murray will defeat Dimitrov in the Wimbledon final

Murray will earn at least $5M in prize money

Murray will get his 500th win before his 157th loss

Murray will have a winning record against top 10 players

Murray will reach a grand slam final and a 1000 semifinal

Nadal will defeat Nishikori in the US Open final

Nadal will double fault more than Kohlschreiber

Nadal will drop out of top 4 after Roland Garros

Nadal will finish the year ranked No. 2

Nadal will lose multiple matches on clay

Nadal will lose on clay to someone other than Djokovic

Nadal will not win Roland Garros

Nicolas Jarry will play a tour-level match

Nishikori will be the world No. 4 after the Australian Open

Nishikori will win a 1000 title

Nishikori will win a title on clay and hard courts

No new player will crack the top 10

No new player will reach a grand slam semifinal

Nobody younger than Dimitrov will be ranked higher than him

Nobody younger than Djokovic will be ranked higher than him

Nobody younger than Raonic will be ranked higher than him

Nobody younger than Vesely will be ranked higher than him

Raonic will be seeded in the top 5 at Wimbledon

Raonic will have a losing record against top 10 players

Raonic will lead the tour in aces

Raonic will reach the top five before Rome

Raonic will win multiple titles

Sock will hold serve more often than Wawrinka

The highest ranked teenager at the end of the year will be Coric

There will be less than 12 lefties in the top 100

Thiem will have a new career-high ranking after Wimbledon

Thiem will have a winning record

Thiem will win a title

Troicki will reach the top 40 in the world before August

Troicki will win a title

Tsonga will earn at least 500 ranking points at a single event

Tsonga will not win a 1000 or a grand slam

USA will finish the year with at least five players in the top 50

Vesely will finish as the No. 2 Czech

Wawrinka will drop out of the top 5 after the Australian Open

Wawrinka will drop out of the top 8 after Monte Carlo

Wawrinka will have a losing record against top 10 players

Wawrinka will have at least four first round losses

Wawrinka will win less than three titles This year I got 63 predictions correct which was a personal record. I was extremely close on the prediction that four Serbs would be in the top 100, but one of them was ranked 101. Still, not a bad year.