Category: Tennis

What the future holds for post-‘Big Three’ tennis era

Posted on by

The changing of the guard in men’s tennis may have already started in terms of who comprises the top 10 in the latest Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rankings 2022 list.


But anyone from the “Big Three” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer continues to dominate the majors this year, with Nadal taking the Australian Open and French Open trophies and he is still in the hunt for a third title in Wimbledon.


Let’s check out why the “Big Three” continues to click and if who among the young guns is ripe to take over in the near future.


MEDVEDEV, ZVEREV, AND TSITSIPAS COULD BE NEW ‘BIG THREE’


Based on the current ATP rankings, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev leads the list with 7,955 points followed by German Alexander Zverev (7,030) and Djokovic settling for No.3 with 6,770 points.


Nadal takes the fourth spot with 6,525 points followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece with 5,150 points and Casper Rudd of Norway (5,050).


Surgery for his knee injury forced Federer to drop out of the top 100 after his last match was a straight-set loss to Hubert Kurkacz of Poland in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in mid-August last year.


If the rankings will be used as the basis, world No.1 Medvedev, world No.2 Zverev and No.5 Tsitsipas loom as the top candidates to take over the “Big Three.”


MAJORS STILL THE YARDSTICK FOR SUCCESS


Medvedev and Zverev would have removed Djokovic and Nadal from the top two positions but the old guard continues to impose a big shadow in men’s tennis.


Since 2004, either Djokovic, Nadal or Federer have won all of the four majors – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open – save for 12 occasions.


Sure, Medvedev prevented Djokovic from sweeping all four majors by topping the US Open last year but Nadal restored order for the “Big Three” so far this year by winning Down Under and at Roland Garros.


RETIREMENT TALKS LOOM FOR FEDERER, NADAL


Federer might be close to hang it up as injuries continue to hound the Swiss maestro that forced him to miss time for almost a year.


The announcement of Federer that he intends to play in Wimbledon “one more time” in 2023 brings cheers to his fans. But it does give hints that the end of the road may come sooner or later for the 40-year-old Basel native.


Nadal also admitted that “a couple of weeks ago, I was close to it (retirement)” before the start of the French Open, as he was hounded by chronic foot pain caused by Mueller-Weiss syndrome.


But his twin major victories have doused off retirement talks for now, while the 35-year-old Djokovic, the youngest of the “Big Three,” is hardly showing any signs of slowing down.


YOUNG GUNS BREAKTHROUGH SEEN IN 2023


Any of the younger players can still salvage some major championships through the ongoing Wimbledon 2022 and the US Open in August. Nadal’s exploits so far, however, ensured that the “Big Three” is still around this year.


But 2023 could be the year that Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsippas, and even guys like Rudd, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, Russian Andrei Rublev, and Canadian Felix Auger-Allasima could claim most of the major trophies.


With injuries taking a toll on Federer and Nadal, only Djokovic is expected to carry the “old guard” consistently in 2023 and beyond. But no one is counting out the Serbian superstar from sweeping all four majors anew after nearly getting it done last year.


Djokovic tipped to win Wimbledon; Anybody’s race in women’s draw

Posted on by

This year’s Wimbledon just got started. And it’s that time of the year where we tinker our own wish list and pick who’s going to march all the way to the top.

Novak Djokovic continues to hog the headlines after several years of ruling the top of the heap, as the Serbian tennis superstar is primed to claim his fourth consecutive title.

There are a couple of names that popped up in the women’s division, with world No.1 Iga Swiatek trying to follow up her French Open title quest early this year with yet another Grand Slam victory.

SLAM RECORD IN SIGHT FOR NOVAK

All eyes remain on Djokovic, who is eager to bounce back from his exit in the French Open by seeking his fourth-straight WImby title and close in on Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam men’s titles in history.

The 35-year-old Belgrade native, who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, is determined to make a deep run at the All England Club, where he expects to cross paths with arch rival Nadal, who defeated him in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros a few weeks ago on his way to the title.

After winning the 2018 and 2019 Wimbledon titles, Djokovic hardly displayed any rust in his game by taking the title last year after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 edition of the tournament.

SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR SWIATEK

Swiatek may not yet be a dominating force like Djokovic, but the 21-year-old Polish star is just getting started.

After claiming the 2020 French Open as the first player from Poland to win a Grand Slam, Swiatek also took home this year’s tropy in Roland Garros after a 6-1 6-3 victory over Coco Gauff made her one of the favorites to win Wimbledon this month.

The 5-foot-9 Warsaw native has her 35-match winning streak at stake, as she eyes back-to-back majors and a longer stronghold as world No1 following the shock retirement of Australian Ashleigh Barty in March.

IS NADAL STILL A FORCE ON GRASS?

Nobody’s going to question Nadal’s domination of clay after claiming yet another major at Roland Garros, but it remains to be seen if he can carry the same efficiency this time on grass to overwhelm Djokovic down the line.

Momentum may be on the side of Nadal after his latest French Open conquest, but breaking Djokovic’s game in his favorite grass surface this year remains a question mark.

The absence of Russian stars Daniil Madevedev and Alexander Zverev in England this year may have opened an opportunity for the likes of Matteo Berrettini, Carlos Alcaraz or Hubert Hurkacz to close in on a breakthrough major title. 

But if Nadal gets past the first week at Wimbledon without much wear and tear and Djokovic rolls through as expected, we might see two familiar names yet again in the final.

HALEP, GAUFF, KVITOVA MAY STEAL THUNDER

Being the world No.1 and carrying another French Open trophy may have installed Swiatek as a no-brainer favorite to win in Wimbledon, but there’s no big gap of other names to emerge on top and stop the Polish star’s improbable run.

Former world No.1 Simona Halep remains a threat after winning the 2018 French Open and the 2019 Wimbledon Open, and the Romanian veteran still has the skills to return to the top.

Gauff can use the pain of her loss in the French Open final to Swiatek to get back at the Polish sensation and win her first major at the All England Club.

Petra Kvitova is another name popping up among the pre-tournament favorites and with good reason. The 32-year-old force from the Czech Republic is no stranger to Wimbledon glory after she won it all in 2011 and 2014, and a strong start may lead her to a return to glory in the majors.

tennis olympics

Federer Pulls Out of Olympics After ‘Setback’

Posted on by

The withdrawal of Roger Federer from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still in the news today. It was previously reported that Federer has been pulled out of the Tokyo Olympic Games owing to a knee injury. The 39-year-old made the statement himself, stating that he will return to the ATP Tour later this year after undergoing treatment.

Roger Federer’s Olympic Victories

Back in the 2012 London Olympics, Federer won the silver medal in the singles category and took home the gold in the doubles with Stan Wawrinka back in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His physique, unfortunately, is not in the proper condition for another Olympic medal pursuit following his two knee surgeries in 2020.

In an Instagram post, Federer wrote the following:

“Due to the grass-court season, I, unfortunately, experienced a setback with my knee and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games. I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honour and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland.

He added, “I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer. I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from afar. As always, Hopp Schwiz!”

roger federer
Courtesy of Roger Federer’s IG account

What’s Next for Sports Fans?

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics almost coming to a close, Asian sports bettors and traders are all excited for the upcoming games of their favourite teams in regular sporting events. If you’re an Asian sports betting enthusiast, SingBet has the greatest odds and the largest stakes, with over 92000 online betting and gaming activity. It offers low-cost Asian handicap corners, cards markets, and outrights on most football leagues and events, with pre-match and in-play betting options.

Courtesy of VIP IBC

Other than Soccer, Basketball, and Rugby, you may wager on sports that you won’t find anywhere else with SingBet, such as live third-tier Spanish football. It’s available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese on the internet. The SingBet website accepts the following currencies: GBP, EUR, HKD, and USD. Gamblers, particularly arbitrage players and professional betting syndicates, should be aware that SingBet has a background of voiding bets if players have a history of fraud or misconduct.

If you’re looking for SingBet bookmaker sites, you can count on VOdds to provide you with access to exclusive sporting events in Asia wherever you are. Sign up for a VOdds account now to start getting better odds.