Will one or a few of the old guards steal the spotlight? Novak Djokovic sits comfortably at the top on the men’s side and very few seem to be able to challenge him consistently. Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal are plagued by recurrent and lingering injuries; thus, I do not see them being able to wrestle the mantle away from Djokovic any time soon. Perhaps the threat will come from one of the young stars; Alexander Zverev seems quite capable if he can sustain his level. Stefanos Tsitsipas had an impressive end to his 2018 season and appears to be growing into his talent quite nicely; perhaps he will be the one.
On the WTA side of things, everyone is curious to see if Serena Williams will finally get her twenty-fourth major title. She surprised many last season when she made it to the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open; however, many were disappointed that she did not capture any title. Time is running out for the champ.
The women’s field has many more younger players in the top ten (nine players are twenty-eight and younger; four of which are twenty-five and younger) compared to the ATP World Tour (three men are in their twenties; two of which are twenty-five and younger). Perhaps that explains the lack of dominance on the WTA Tour compared to the ATP Tour. Nevertheless, the younger players will eventually wrestle the reigns away from the older players; however, can they do so consistently this year or will the old guards continue to fight to maintain their status atop the leaderboard?
The era of dominance and consistency atop the rankings seem to be a thing of the past, especially on the WTA Tour. Some may find this appealing; however, others may like the idea of a few dominant players who must resist the onslaught of younger talented opponents. I think if the younger players can maintain their high level of play more consistently this year, this season can be theirs for the taking. Yet, the one variable that no player can foresee is injury; thus, their number one objective is to be as fit as possible and properly warmed up to reduce their chance of injury.
SOURCE OF IMAGE: serveandrally
