So are we getting sick of the Mad Lad era already?
I've found it very watchable with most of the players surging in form. Let me looks if anyone stands out for failure...:
RBA definitely has fallen short on my expectations
Nishikori injured as usual, but largely a WTF pigeon
Isner has floundered a bit after winning the Museum Slam retro addition in Newport with all those lovable bad/low bounces - hardly a tragedy for the game though I do enjoy my Tiebreakners
Pouille - injured, but not really a top ten threat these days
Cilic - in freefall and probably the most shocking year, and his worthlessness deep in slams of late confirmed.
Too many players doing all too well to mention. Is it just the Big 3 fans on here miss the pigeons of yore? Really I don't get it unless you're into bringing Zombie's back from the dead who have plummeted downwards its really been a fine, fine year. Must be Pigeons of Yore Syndrome.
The solution to Pigeons of Yore Syndrome is start watching the new Diamond Age threats:
1. Tsitsipas at 21 is coming on strong and may well win WTF especially if he proves tomorrow he owns Djokovic
2. Medvedev, aka Mad Lad, is pure box office and has made this the strongest hard court year on record with the four top players points won numbers exceptionally healthy.
3. Thiem is getting over the hump on hard courts and now has won more indoor hard court events than Nadal for his career. 2000 points worth of hard court trophies this year and very exciting player to watch.
4. Zverev is rounding back into some skeleton of form, but the new threats at WTF will make a repeat for him a long shot
5. Berrettini with a lot of help from French fans just got demoted to Tsonga lite, but Paris fans really over the top this year.
6. Shapovalov under all court favorite Youzhny's tutelage is smoking hot right now and may save Berrettini WTF spot by beating Monfils (a new man with his new woman sparking him.)
7. De Minaur has exploded despite an injury inflicted year and appears likely to make the top 10 by the end of Wimbledon
8. Rublev is rocketing back to possibly the top of the Russian heap and is just under two years youngerer than the Mad Lad.
9. FAA out with injury, but an astounding year despite falling badly after Wimbledon
I'm really amazed at the year because I've added two players to my original Diamond Age Tier 1 group of:
1. Zverev - 22 - the only one floundering, but still made WTF
2. Tsitsipas - 21
3. Shapovalov -20
4. FAA -19
New:
5. Medvedev - 23
6. De Minaur - 20 (who I've added because of fantastic stats surprisingly driven by his serve game.
)
And a 7th may be on the horizon and will be strutting his stuff at Milan in less than a week:
Sinner - 18 is now being heralded as the top Italian prospect with results expected better than
That should be 7 players better than Andy Murray on the horizon.
Fascinating to watch them tangle with the Big 3 while they've still got a lot of game in them (Nadal this year has his best hard court stats of his career.)
