NEW YORK -- The US Open -- and the 2016 Grand Slam season -- are history.
Sure, there are 15 WTA events left on the calendar and 14 on the men's side, plus the Davis Cup semifinals and final, but it all feels a little anticlimactic.
As a public service, only 127 days before the first ball at the Australian Open, we're going to give you tomorrow's news today.
Here are 10 bold predictions for the 2017 season:
Rafa wins the French Open: After taking nine titles in 10 years at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal has come up painfully short the past two years. He got to the quarters in 2015, but withdrew from this year's tournament after his second-round match with a wrist injury. Healthy again, he plows through the field like it's 2005. This gives Rafa 10 French Open titles, making him the first (and last?) to hit double digits in a single Slam. It is an immensely popular victory, akin to Roger Federer's sentimental win at Wimbledon in 2012.
A match made in ... Mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios, in need of a coach, turns to equally mercurial American John McEnroe. Madness, fireworks -- and wonder of wonders -- great tennis ensues. It's such a crazy combination it actually works. But they part ways after Wimbledon, and McEnroe joins the camp of ... mercurial Frenchman Gael Monfils, another player he criticized here at the US Open.
Serena's over-under: She won the first three Slams of 2015, but Williams has gone 1-for-5 since. After taking off the fall Asian swing, the 35-year-old resurfaces in 2017 and plays decently into the summer. Just as she did this year, Serena wins at Wimbledon -- the only major she will win -- giving her a stellar eight titles at the All England Club. Jay Z and Beyonce watch from the Royal Box.
Nole's over-under: Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, is still in his prime, even though he turns 30 before the French Open. He wins in Melbourne (for the seventh time, when the other 127 players in the draw abruptly withdraw), then takes the title at Wimbledon for his fourth. That pushes his Grand Slam singles total to 14, one behind Nadal -- who had just won the French a few weeks earlier -- and only three behind Federer's all-time total.
Halep and Raonic break through: Congratulations to your first-time Grand Slam winners. Simona Halep, who reached the final of Roland Garros in 2014, finally locks it down in Paris. Milos Raonic, a finalist at Wimbledon in 2016, finds a way to win in New York.
Federer returns in style: No, he doesn't actually add to his Grand Slam singles titles, but just seeing Federer hovering effortlessly around on the world's greatest courts is deeply comforting. He gets to the semis at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but that's as far as it goes.
Vika makes a splash: After giving birth at the end of 2016, Victoria Azarenka, the 28-year-old mother, steps on the court in Cincinnati, where she was a champion four years earlier. This sets her up for a euphoric return to the Grand Slam stage in New York.
Delpo stays healthy: Gangly Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, survivor of four wrist surgeries, continues to progress. His confidence increases, and by the French Open, he's hitting those nasty, two-handed backhands that helped him win the 2009 US Open. Del Potro makes the final in New York again, but loses to Raonic.
Surprise! Sharapova's back: Speaking of returns, Maria Sharapova gets her two-year sentence reduced via appeal. After serving one full year, she comes back for the spring clay campaign and is part of the draw in Paris, the only Slam where she is a two-time champion.
Venus bids farewell: Venus Williams, at the age of 37, dominates the fall Asian circuit, winning three titles in China, then announces her retirement. She says she's done as a player, but will immediately begin coaching ... Nick Kyrgios.