Some players spring onto the scene seemingly out of the blue and some players take a while to put it all together. Sometimes when you have so many shots in your arsenal, it takes longer to figure out the best way to employ your skills to get the results that you want. It appears to be a lot easier when your strategy is simply hit the ball hard and if that does not work, hit it harder.
I am always curious to see players on tour, who have so much talent yet seem unable to win titles; thus, it is really gratifying when they put it all together and take the next step. I expect that there will be some reshuffling on the top ten on both tours in the immediate future as the younger players settle into their game and the older players retire. There is definitely a certain sense of excitement to see who will stake their claim to the top ten on the ATP and WTA Tours in the next two years.
While getting to the top ten is awesome; these new stars will have to prove that they belong in the top ten by remaining there for prolonged periods like the previous dominant top ten players, who were consistently in the top ten for extensive periods. Will we see that dominance in the top ten that we saw with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams ever again?
The rigorous demands of the tour seems to suggest that may be less likely as players seem more prone to getting injured and have a certain casual regard for the being at the top of the sport. There is a lack of hunger in the current crop of players, they seem satisfied with getting the occasional win and don’t seem that bothered with trying to dominate the field.
I like to see that dominance at the top; in fact it almost is expected. The top players should be dominant because they are consistently the best in the field; however, with players getting stronger and the changes in equipment and technology, top players have to work harder than ever to remain unbeaten.
Ons Jabeur
Dayana Yastremska
10 TO WATCH IN 2019: there are so many players with potential, the question always remains, “Who will live up to their potential?” I chose these ten and I could have chosen ten more; however, I am curious to see how these ten will perform in 2019. Hopefully they will remain injury free.
- ONS JABEUR (62)
- DAYANA YASTREMSKA (60)
- MACKENZIE MCDONALD (78)
- UGO HUMBERT (92)
- ILYA IVASHKA (86)
- ALEX DE MINAUR (31)
- STEFANOS TSITSIPAS (16)
- SOFIA KENIN (49)
- ANASTASIA POTAPOVA (94)
- AMANDA ANISIMOVA (93)
** Current ranking in parenthesis.
SOURCE OF IMAGES: serveandrally originals (main photo: Mackenzie McDonald)
