Who will dominate men’s tennis in 2017?

With the US Open in the rear view, the men on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour will finally have some time to rest after a long and grueling summer. The major season has come to a close and the Shanghai Masters and ATP Finals are the only significant tournaments left during the calendar year.

Let’s look forward to next year’s majors and make a preliminary power ranking of the top ten men’s players going into the 2017 season, which will commence in January with the Australian Open.

Coming in at number 10 is animated, and at times controversial Frenchman, Gaël Monfils, who is known for his flare and on-court antics and draws mixed feelings from the tennis community.

However, there seems to be a wide consensus that the thirty-year-old may be playing the best tennis of his career. In addition to winning his first tournament in over two years at the Washington Open, Monfils reached the quarterfinals in the Olympics and the semifinals in the US Open. Going into 2017, Monfils will certainly continue to spark debates regarding his character, but he will also likely continue playing some of the best tennis of his career.

Beating out Monfils for the number-nine spot is Tomáš Berdych. Berdych has been a model of consistency throughout his career, reaching nine quarterfinals, five semifinals, and one final. Following his semifinal appearance at Wimbledon this year, Berdych opted to withdraw from the Olympics due to Zika concerns. He was then forced to miss the US Open after being diagnosed with appendicitis. If his track record is any indication though, Berdych should be back in top form and ready to take on the 2017 season.

Milos Raonic takes the number-eight spot after a summer full of ups and downs. After solid showings in Australia and France, the Canadian reached the biggest stage in tennis, the Wimbledon final, where he fell to the  UK native, Andy Murray.

Despite the loss, Raonic seemed to have already propelled his way into the group of tennis elites. Raonic, like Berdych, withdrew from the Olympics following Wimbledom and was then stunningly upset in the second round of the US Open. Only 25, he still has time to reach the top tier of players, but he must build upon his recent success if he wants to keep up with the sport’s best.

Raonic is still unproven as an elite tennis player, unlike the next two men in the rankings, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. These two have already cemented themselves among the greatest players ever.

Federer’s 17 major titles are the most of all-time, while Nadal’s 14 are tied with Pete Sampras for second. However, neither player has recently won a major; Federer’s last championship was Wimbledon in 2012 and Nadal’s the French Open in 2014. Federer seemed to be poised to add to his record number of championships after reaching two finals last year and two semifinals this year.

However, injuries derailed these hopes as Federer missed the French Open, the Olympics and the US Open, after not having missed a major since the 1990s. Meanwhile, Nadal missed Wimbledon this year for the first time since 2009 and had early exits in the other three majors. His performance in the Olympics was a sign of hope, as he was able to reach the bronze medal match. While neither man had a season up to their previous caliber, Federer takes the number-six ranking, getting the slight edge over Nadal, because of his consistency when healthy over the past few years.

Juan Martín del Potro muscles his way into the top five after a sensational comeback season. Over the past several years, “Delpo” had three wrist surgeries, consequently missing nine consecutive majors.

Many believed he would never return to the level of play that he had once displayed prior to his injury. However, at Wimbledon, the Argentinian finally returned and was able to reach the third round, knocking off Stan Wawrinka along the way.

He then went to the Olympics, where he upped the ante by upsetting Novak Djokovic in the first round and ultimately earning the silver medal. Back in the spotlight, Delpo headed to the US Open as a wild card, where he reached the quarterfinals, before Wawrinka avenged his Wimbledon loss.

Delpo has demonstrated exceptional strength, both in his rehab and with his vigor on the court. He has proven himself before with his 2009 US Open title and looks to continue defying the odds next year and perhaps to capture a second major title.

The number-four spot goes to Kei Nishikori, who is the only Japanese man to have ever been in the top 10 or in a major final. He won the bronze medal at the Olympics and most recently, at the US Open, was able to reach the semifinals after upsetting the scorching hot Andy Murray.

Nishikori’s victory over Murray was absolutely his biggest of the year, and should go a long way in instilling his confidence. His energy and finesse are remarkable and put him in position to endure lengthy matches. At 26 years old, Nishikori is entering his prime and should continue to improve going into next season.

Kicking off the top three is reigning US Open champion, Stan Wawrinka. Having also won the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open, “Stan the Man” has now won three different majors, one in each of the past three years.

What stands out about Wawrinka is his poise under pressure and his extraordinarily consistent ability to win his most important matches. In fact, he has now won the last eleven finals matches he has played in and should definitely be considered one of the best players in the world and will have another strong season in 2017, as he looks to complete the career slam.

The top two spots are a toss-up between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Djokovic has unquestionably been the best player on tour for the past several years, but Murray has recently come on strong with an exceptionally dominant summer.

Djokovic won the Australian Open and French Open while Murray was victorious at Wimbledon and the Olympics. Djokovic gets the slight edge over Murray for several reasons though. First and foremost, both his Australian Open and French Open championships this year were over Murray, while Murray did not have to play the “Djoker” in order to win either of his championships. Secondly, Djokovic has been dominant for a longer period of time, winning eleven majors since 2011, compared to Murray’s three.

These two players are indisputably the best in the game though, and it will be challenging for anyone else on the list to reach their current level of success. However, just as Wawrinka showed in the US Open by knocking off Djokovic in the final, it is possible, on rare occasions, to outplay the best of the best.