Swiss maestro Roger Federer has retired from the sport. Fourteen-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal missed Roland-Garros this yr owing to a lingering hip damage. Despite that, the dominance of the big-three within the recreation has not waned but, with the 36-year-old Novak Djokovic winning a record 23rd Grand Slam on Sunday.
Of the 81 Grand Slams performed since 2003 — the yr Federer broke by way of (a breakthrough win is the primary occasion of a participant successful a championship) by successful the Wimbledon — the big-three have received 65 (80%); of which 23 Slams had been received after they turned 30. In reality, on Sunday Djokovic grew to become the oldest Roland-Garros champion on the age of 36 years and 20 days, a file beforehand held by Nadal when he received the Slam in 2022.
This pattern of older gamers successful championships is extra pronounced within the males’s recreation with the common age of winners since 2003 being 27. The solely participant who got here near breaking the dominance in latest instances was Carlos Alcaraz, who received the U.S. Open in 2022. The Spaniard, who drew comparisons with Nadal by tennis commentators, received the championship as a youngster. The final time the lads’s recreation noticed a teenage champion was method again in 2005 when Nadal broke by way of and received the French Open. However, it’s to be famous that Alcaraz didn’t meet any of the large three throughout his U.S. Open win, with Djokovic lacking out attributable to non-compliance with vaccination norms and Nadal exiting within the fourth spherical.
The two different gamers who got here near beating the dominance of the big-three in latest instances had been Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev — one-time wonders — who managed to win the U.S. Open in 2020 and 2021. But thereafter whereas Thiem didn’t handle to succeed in the final three rounds of any of the Slams, Medvedev managed to succeed in simply as soon as.
Chart A | The chart exhibits the age of male Grand Slam champions within the Open Era. The signal (+) signifies a breakthrough win.
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On the opposite hand, the ladies’s recreation has seen many breakthroughs lately. After the dominance of Serena Williams waned, along with her final Slam win on the 2017 Australian Open as a 35-year-old, many youthful first-time winners emerged within the scene. Of the 21 Slams performed post-2017, 11 (over 50%)had been breakthroughs. Of them, 9 gamers had been aged 21 or beneath, three of them being youngsters. In reality, aside from Angelique Kerber who received Wimbledon in 2018, each different champion was aged beneath 30.
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Young Polish star Iga Swiatek who received her third French Open this yr, was 21 years of age when the Roland-Garros match began this yr. She turned 22 two days later. For this evaluation, the age of the champions is calculated primarily based on the day the match began.
Chart B | The chart exhibits the age of feminine Grand Slam champions within the Open Era.
A comparability of charts A and B exhibits that there are extra +s (breakthroughs) among the many ladies champions whereas it’s a rarity amongst male winners lately. Moreover, a lot of the breakthroughs within the ladies’s recreation have been achieved by a lot youthful gamers lately. Also, generally, the age of girls champions is way decrease than their male counterparts lately.
Chart 1 | The chart exhibits essentially the most Grand Slam wins amongst singles male tennis gamers (earlier than and through Open Era)
Chart 2 | The chart exhibits essentially the most Grand Slam wins amongst singles feminine tennis gamers (earlier than and through Open Era)
With his twenty third Championship win, Djokovic has surpassed Nadal and have become the male tennis participant with essentially the most Slam wins (Chart 1), equalling Serena’s tally. However, Djokovic continues to be behind Margaret Court’s 24 wins (Chart 2).
vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in
Source: Websites of Tennis Abstract, the ATP Tour, the Roland-Garros and the Women’s Tennis Association
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