Red Rick
Bionic Poster
We're in an unprecedented era in tennis. We have a World #1 who is actually close to the age that normal people retire. Slam counts of the top players have gone through the roof. Former top players have faded, broken down. Meanwhile, the early 90s generation came and did..... pretty much nothing. Nothing until the 80s players break down by the dozens. There are 4 active players on Tour right now that have played Slam finals that haven't been out with long term injury. The players who were #1 and #2 in the world on the monday after Roland Garros 2005 have aged, slowed down and broken, and yet after almost 13 years they're still gonna be #1 and #2 in the world after RG. They're still dominating respective surfaces, Baldal breaking the record for consecutive sets won on clay and Ancienterer winning Wimbledon without dropping a set.
Yet the players that dominate the Slams have gotten a wee little inconsistent in the smaller tournaments. The Masters 1000s that used to be spread between the Big 4 have seen 4 different winners in 4 tournaments this year, for the first time since 2004(?). It turns out that spreading them between 2 players is a little harder than spreading them between 4 players, especially if you start to reach the age where you start forgetting if you've won a title or not. We've seen 5 new Masters champions emerge in the last 2 years, 4 of which players who couldn't get anything done when the Big 4 were around. And then there's Zverev, who's ridden 4 hilarious draws to 4 finals and 3 titles. And yet their efforts have been as fruitless at Slams as they've ever been. The Tour is a wasteland, and average players reach achievements beyond their wildest dreams because better players are injured, young players aren't as good as they should be and because they get the draw of their dreams.
For the first time, we have a young generation that doesn't take it to previous champions and violently kick them from the top of the hill. Instead, they're just waiting for players they could never beat to retire before they can start winning Slams for themselves. And when it happens, the Tour will look dire.
In previous times we've seen great players brutally beaten into being mere sidenotes in the annals of tennis history. And now that that time is finally at an end, it is time for worse players to achieve vastly more than better players unfortunate enough to be born in the wrong era.
Ladies and gentlemen. This is the Career Inflation Era(TM)*.
*The term "Career Inflation Era is intellectual property of @NatF Genius Inc.
Yet the players that dominate the Slams have gotten a wee little inconsistent in the smaller tournaments. The Masters 1000s that used to be spread between the Big 4 have seen 4 different winners in 4 tournaments this year, for the first time since 2004(?). It turns out that spreading them between 2 players is a little harder than spreading them between 4 players, especially if you start to reach the age where you start forgetting if you've won a title or not. We've seen 5 new Masters champions emerge in the last 2 years, 4 of which players who couldn't get anything done when the Big 4 were around. And then there's Zverev, who's ridden 4 hilarious draws to 4 finals and 3 titles. And yet their efforts have been as fruitless at Slams as they've ever been. The Tour is a wasteland, and average players reach achievements beyond their wildest dreams because better players are injured, young players aren't as good as they should be and because they get the draw of their dreams.
For the first time, we have a young generation that doesn't take it to previous champions and violently kick them from the top of the hill. Instead, they're just waiting for players they could never beat to retire before they can start winning Slams for themselves. And when it happens, the Tour will look dire.
In previous times we've seen great players brutally beaten into being mere sidenotes in the annals of tennis history. And now that that time is finally at an end, it is time for worse players to achieve vastly more than better players unfortunate enough to be born in the wrong era.
Ladies and gentlemen. This is the Career Inflation Era(TM)*.
@NatF , thank you for your great wisdom.
*The term "Career Inflation Era is intellectual property of @NatF Genius Inc.
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