King No1e
G.O.A.T.
I've said this exact thing before (in fact I copy pasted sections of this thread from last year's discussion about Chung) and it amazes me that, even now in 2019, a year later, nothing much has changed.
Rafa Nadal is 32. He's now one of the oldest top players in history. He won the French Open last year and stayed #1 until the end. He's going strong as ever. Murray has likely lost his battle to injury, and Federer is fighting an uphill battle to stay at the top. Djokovic is still playing his best, but he's still prone to upsets, and the young generation is catching up to him.
A generation of 30+ players should not be favored to win titles anymore. Even the players who were in the past (Connors, Agassi, Laver) didn't win majors this long, and were few and far between. There is no new generation stepping up yet to take the mantle, which is why the ATP is desperately trying to prop the young players up. Zverev is the only player his age in the top 10, although Tsitsipas is getting close, but even Zverev hasn't made it past a Slam QF.
The Big 3 are all legends. I still admire and root for Djokovic. A Djokodal final here would be a historic match. The hype will always be there until they retire.
But at this age that's what they should be. Legends. The fact that they're still around only adds to the mythos around them, but it also says that the sport isn't developing. The tour, and TTW, have descended into a grim uncertainty about the future of tennis. For the first time in tennis history, there is no Grand Slam winner in their prime. Cilic is 30 now, and his consistency is starting to fade. Murray is retiring this year. Federer isn't the consistency machine he once was. Wawrinka is fading. Nadal's V8 engine is slowly but surely getting worn out, the price paid for pushing himself to the limit every year. Del Potro is unpredictable and a nostalgic favorite, but the injuries and age have taken a toll on even him. And Djokovic....even Superman isn't eternal.
Life must go on. So must tennis.
If Tsitsipas beats Nadal, that's a step in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see Nadal get injured or something. But the Big 3 aren't getting any better at this age. The first conqueror was Stan, who showed the big 4 that they were beatable. But he was just one man, in his late career. A new generation, one made up of younger, more consistent, more driven players must rise.
A win for Stefanos is a win for tennis.
Rafa Nadal is 32. He's now one of the oldest top players in history. He won the French Open last year and stayed #1 until the end. He's going strong as ever. Murray has likely lost his battle to injury, and Federer is fighting an uphill battle to stay at the top. Djokovic is still playing his best, but he's still prone to upsets, and the young generation is catching up to him.
A generation of 30+ players should not be favored to win titles anymore. Even the players who were in the past (Connors, Agassi, Laver) didn't win majors this long, and were few and far between. There is no new generation stepping up yet to take the mantle, which is why the ATP is desperately trying to prop the young players up. Zverev is the only player his age in the top 10, although Tsitsipas is getting close, but even Zverev hasn't made it past a Slam QF.
The Big 3 are all legends. I still admire and root for Djokovic. A Djokodal final here would be a historic match. The hype will always be there until they retire.
But at this age that's what they should be. Legends. The fact that they're still around only adds to the mythos around them, but it also says that the sport isn't developing. The tour, and TTW, have descended into a grim uncertainty about the future of tennis. For the first time in tennis history, there is no Grand Slam winner in their prime. Cilic is 30 now, and his consistency is starting to fade. Murray is retiring this year. Federer isn't the consistency machine he once was. Wawrinka is fading. Nadal's V8 engine is slowly but surely getting worn out, the price paid for pushing himself to the limit every year. Del Potro is unpredictable and a nostalgic favorite, but the injuries and age have taken a toll on even him. And Djokovic....even Superman isn't eternal.
Life must go on. So must tennis.
If Tsitsipas beats Nadal, that's a step in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see Nadal get injured or something. But the Big 3 aren't getting any better at this age. The first conqueror was Stan, who showed the big 4 that they were beatable. But he was just one man, in his late career. A new generation, one made up of younger, more consistent, more driven players must rise.
A win for Stefanos is a win for tennis.
