The tennis world has been waiting patiently for a new set of players to rise to the top of men’s tennis. Could the US Open finally be seeing this happen, well yes and no. Times are changing but with one notable exception.
Anyone looking at the list of players taking part in the US Open men’s singles will see two notable absentees. Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are not playing in this final Grand Slam of the year. The legends are both out injured at present, and neither will be playing again in 2021.
Andy Murray nearly beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the US Open first round but is still well below his best. It’s likely he’ll never be in a position to challenge for another Grand Slam singles title. You do fear the next point he plays will see him get injured again.
All three players are slipping down the world rankings. Nadal is fifth with Federer in ninth and Murray still a lowly 115th in the live rankings. A clearer idea of how there is a passing (well nearly a passing) of the guard can be seen in the ATP Race list.
This looks at the ranking points earned this calendar year. The top players go into the lucrative ATP Tour Finals. Nadal is seventh, Federer 59th and Andy Murray 129th, just below Mario Viella Martinez who isn’t the most well known tennis player. If you want to place a bet on the US Open or other sporting events, betting 24 is full of helpful information about the best sites to register with.
Players such as Stefanos Tsitsipas (finalist at the French Open this year), Alexander Zverev (Olympic champion), Daniil Medvedev (winner of three titles this year) and Andrey Rublev are regular contenders for the top titles. There are plenty of upcoming players too such as Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada plus Miami Masters winner Hubert Hurkacz.
Italy has Matteo Berrettini (Wimbledon finalist this year), Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego. The simple fact is that the top rankings are nowhere near as full of players in their thirties, the younger players are a major force now, knocking on the door of success.
The old guard is not done with winning big titles. One name hasn’t been mentioned so far in this article. Novak Djokovic may be 34 ( only a year younger than Nadal) but he dominates men’s tennis. He’s won all three of the Grand Slam events this year. Five of the last six have been won by Djokovic, the other the 2020 US Open where he was defaulted after hitting a ball that hit a line judge.
New players are emerging, but they still struggle to get past Djokovic who is bidding to win a calendar Grand Slam in New York. It might take a while for the rising pack to dislodge the Serb but the day that happens is getting closer.
