At Wimbledon this year all four of the competitors in the singles finals were in their thirties. This inevitably refocused the attention on the struggles of the upcoming players who have so far been unable to develop their burgeoning talents to challenge for the game’s greatest trophies.
Serena Williams’ run to the final just 10 months after giving birth was the story of the tournament, yet it also hinted at the lack of depth in the women’s game. The American hardly played in the run-up to the tournament and had not been expected to challenge for an eighth Wimbledon title.
The men’s tour is full of talented contenders who have yet to assert their authority at the latter stages of a Grand Slam. Many pundits have long predicted that the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori would rule the tennis world, but their window of opportunity appears to be passing them by. The pair are 27 and 28 years old respectively, and already find their place near the top table threatened by younger challengers such as Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.
Prior to this year’s Wimbledon, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had won the previous six Grand Slam tournaments. Their greatest rival, Novak Djokovic, now looks to have put his personal problems and injury issues behind him. His victory at Wimbledon on Sunday means this year is the first since 2014 that the first three Grand Slams of the season have been won by different men. Meanwhile, three-time Grand Slam champions Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are rejuvenated after returning from serious injury. If both men can find their form, they too will fancy their chances during the US hard court season as they have both prospered on the surface before. Former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro is also back to his best and will be another contender.
The summer of sport may have already reached its climax, but the rivalries on the ATP tour will continue to heat up.
Leave a Reply