The biggest tennis flops of 2023: Five big names who must do better next year

Tennis is preparing for a new season to get underway later this month, with five players who came up short in 2023 eager to do better in the new year. 

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek ended the year as the king and queen of the sport, but what about the players who failed to live up to their billing over the past 12 months?

Here is your Tennis365 guide to five players who fall onto our ‘must do better’ list.

Ons Jabeur

2023 record: 36/ 17

Prize money: $3,194,564

Jabeur suffered too many early exits in big tournaments this year, as she struggled to get into top gear when it mattered most.

Her run to a second successive Wimbledon final was evidence that she is capable of beating the best when she is on top form, but her collapse in belief in that final against Marketa Vondrousova may have left a lasting scar.

Outside of the majors, Jabeur reached just one quarter-final in WTA 1000 events, which was a poor return for a player of her quality.

Cameron Norrie

2023 record: 36-25

Prize money: $2,181,535

Norrie confessed to Tennis365 that he was disappointed with his performances in 2023 in an exclusive interview, yet he is eager to do better in the new year.

“Honestly, the way I was hitting the ball was the best of my career so far, but there is a lot of learning to do,” Norrie told Tennis365.

“The last three years, I think I have played more matches than anyone on the whole tour. There were a lot of matches and a lot of travelling, which I love. But getting a bit more experience and a little older, I’m going to look at the schedule a little closer. Maybe have one or two weeks off.”

Norrie’s plans for 2024 will start to come together when he flies out to Australia on December 23 to start his preparations for the United Cup tournament later this month.

Maria Sakkari

2023 record: 38-25

Prize money: $2,600,139

This was a challenging year for Greek star Sakkari.

She struggled badly for much of the year and was reduced to tears after her early US Open exit, with her press conference showing the torment she was living through.

Sakkari scraped into a qualifying position for the WTA Finals, but this was a year to forget for Sakkari apart from her big WTA 1000 tournament win in Guadalajara in September.

Casper Ruud

2023 record: 37-23

Prize money: $3,121,454

Ruud was knocking on the door of the biggest prizes in tennis in 2021 and 2022 and while he did make it through to another French Open final this year, he dropped out of the top 10 of the ATP rankings.

Second round exits in the other three Grand Slam events were big disappointments and Ruud also struggled in Masters 1000 events in a year when he appeared to lose the momentum that was driving him forward.

His consistency is a huge weapon, but he may need to add more firepower to his game to go to the next level.

Caroline Garcia

2023 record: 40-26

Prize money: $1,867,095

This French star broke through as one of the game’s rising stars with her win at the 2022 WTA Finals, but she struggled to back that up over the last year.

A fourth round appearance at the Australian Open was her best effort in a Grand Slam and a semi-final appearance at the Guadalajara Open was her most impressive performance in a WTA 1000 event.

Losing 26 times in 2023 was a disappointment for a player who can test the best when she is on top of her game.